Exitium
by Miss Spaceship
Summary: With the death of Piccolo rocking the Z gang and hitting Aika the hardest, how will she cope to the sudden loss of her loved one? With the arrival of new enemies, she learns quickly that space isn't the only place for them to come from. Part two of the Lost Prodigy saga.
1. Chapter 1

Welcome! This is a second part to Lost Prodigy. I'll try my best to stay true to the characters this go around. This story is super AU, so if you wanted something that stuck to the main story line... wander away.

In this side of the story, I'll be writing a letter to Piccolo, using the same method's I used in LP for story writing purposes. Her letter will be in italics, the rest will be normal. Enjoy!

As usual, I just own Aika/Celise. 

* * *

__

_Dear Piccolo,_

 _How have you been? It's been a few months since you've left. Well, it's a few months in the chamber, but a few weeks outside of the chamber. I've finally cleaned what I could from the house, but left your room untouched. Figured... you'd want to come back to it one day. Gohan helped me patch up the hole I made in the door. Goku hasn't come by to talk to me since, but he told Gohan to send his apologies, and that as soon as I give birth, he would love a chance to spar with me to 'test strengths', or whatever he calls it. I think he just wants a chance to see you sooner._

Aika adjusted herself in her seat, taking in the vast white space that stood off in front of her. She and Trunks had been in the chamber for two months so far, and it was not easy for either one of them. In the beginning, it was easy for the two of them to train together, though Aika had to hold herself back a lot more, out of the safety for the baby. Now four months pregnant, sparring just wasn't an option. At first, the change seemed difficult, since Trunks didn't really have someone to spar against, but it did give Aika a chance to write out her thoughts.

Her eyes glazed over, her mind filled with names for their unborn child. A flash of light, and wind from a ki attack swept her out of her thoughts. Her focus turned to her husband, his lilac hair sweeping over his face. His bangs, now tickling his chin, swept back from each practiced blast. He became frustrated when the hair landed in front of aquamarine eyes, shrouding his vision from the invisible enemy. She couldn't help but chuckle, lifting off of the seat and into the air, floating towards him. With practice, Aika produced a shield around her, just in case Trunks didn't notice her there. Landing with a 'tap', she walked up to him, sweeping his hair behind his head, making a ponytail at the nape of his neck.

Trunks turned to her, caressing her cheek. She blushed, nuzzling her face into his hand. "You're always a step ahead of me, Aijou. What would I do without you?" She only laughed, pulling away from his hand and began walking back to the table she sat at. Before she took off, she shot her reply to him.

"Who knows? You're a resourceful man, so I think you'd survive."

Landing back at the main compound of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Aika went to grab a few supplies the two of them took from the lab. Each day, she recorded the progress on the baby, and sometimes snuck a few private ultrasounds in. Today, they would find out what they were having, so she showed some restraint when doing her check up. Removing her shirt, the brunette slid her hands over her growing belly, affectionately caressing the baby's temporary housing.

"How's my little pride and joy doing today? We really seemed to like breakfast this morning, which means someone's in a good mood, aren't they? Mommy's gotta do our daily check up, then your daddy and I get to find out if our little one is a boy or a girl!" 

_Father, your grandchild grows every day, and each day is a new day for the three of us. The second I mentioned steak, the baby began to flutter around my stomach! When I get a chance to meditate, sometimes I see you and the baby. At first, I got really scared. I didn't know if this was a bad omen, or what have you, but the way the baby giggled when you held them reminded me of the love and joy I had when you were around._

After taking her measurements, heart rate, and blood pressure, Aika's eyes locked onto the sonogram machine, but resisted the urge to check for herself. Instead, she figured it was as good of a time as any to begin making dinner. Being in such a blank slate of a place that the time chamber was, one's body took time to adjust to the constant day light. It was a great thing that the beds came with curtains, but alarms still came in handy.

When the two of them first got into the chamber, they slept in the same bed. Due to Trunks being a heavy sleeper, and Aika waking early, the two decided to sleep in separate beds. It seemed to do the trick, but every so often, one would end up in the other's bed in the middle of the night, cuddling like they used to in their youth. Trunks landed on the platform, taking careful strides towards his wife. She was reading the ingredients for loaded potato soup off of a piece of paper, taking great strides to adjust the recipe for the two of them. He took the chance to get his prize, sliding his hands around her stomach, placing a loving kiss on her cheek. Aika smiled, but never took her eyes off of the paper.

"Go shower, you stink." The prince chuckled, stepping back and taking a good whiff of himself. Despite the fact that he trained by himself, he did in fact work up a stink. Trunks shrugged, then turned towards the bathroom.

"I was hoping you'd join me in the shower. Because, you know, it's so hard wash my back at times." She rolled her eyes, shooting him a side eye that could strike a person dead. He stepped back, bristling for a moment, then continued on to shower. "Nevermind, then..." 

_We thought of a few names for the baby, but nothing really stood out to either one of us. Trunks wanted to name the baby Vegeta or Calliope, I want to name the baby Keenu or Rhee. One thing is for sure, this baby will not be named Vegeta. Celise agrees with me on this one, and we rarely agree on anything. I miss you, father. I wish you were back._

Dinner was eaten in silence, but it was mostly out of excitement for the rest of the night. Trunks stole Aika's hand, but she quickly snatched it away. Furrowing his brows, he decided it would be better to get the sonogram machine instead. Aika lay on the bed, her shirt folded neatly next to her end table. Trunks set everything up, taking a few peeks over to his wife fiddling and talking to their baby, smiling a bittersweet one to them. He passed her the gel, letting her rub the substance on her skin, then turned the machine on, waiting for his approval to start checking.

"Dr. Vue said that the best way to see the gender is to get the baby active. The nugget's been doing some good flips in here for a while, and I think their butt's over here, so let's check that."

He obeyed, taking the wand and placed it in the gel first, then smoothed it over to the left side of her belly, checking the place where Aika pointed to. Sure enough, the baby's bottom was to her side, and so was all of the baby's glory. The two of them both grew still, then looked at each other. Aika teared up, reaching out to Trunks. He quickly jumped into her arms, matching her excitement all the same. Their hands were both on her stomach, their visions blurry, fingers sticky, but they held their son as best as they could for the moment. 

_With all of the love in the world,_

 _Aika._


	2. Chapter 2

"Trunks! Use your power as a shield. If a ki attack got to you when your back was turned, how do you expect to defend yourself when there are multiple enemies?"

The lavender haired man fought off his wife's ki barrage. She reached a point where ki no longer bothered the baby, so training was back to normal, to an extent. So far, Aika still couldn't power up fully, or the baby would try to claw his way out, so ki attacks and sparring would do for now. As the man faced her, pushing off any blast that shot his way, he did what he could to block out her nagging, but it was a fruitless endeavor.

"Aika, I'm trying as best as I can to keep up with the attacks, but with _you_ yelling in my ear, I can't focus on a damn thing!"

Cocking an eyebrow, the brown haired beauty looked at him, temporarily pausing her assault on the man. Lowering to the ground, she stood, her arms crossed, trying her best to be as intimidating as a 6 month woman could prove to be, but the waddle her walk produced only made Trunks want to double over laughing, if he weren't so angry at her.

"Oh? You don't like my yelling? How would you like it if I were right behind you instead?"

He didn't realize where she went until his face kissed the ground below them. Lately, when Aika and Trunks sparred, she normally held back, trying to keep it as light hearted as possible, but since they walked into the time chamber, she hasn't held back once. There have been days where Trunks stayed in bed due to the severity of his injuries. He wanted to blame it on the injuries, but he knew there was a deeper reason to it that she didn't speak on.

Aika held the man down with her foot, controlling him while he struggled to get back to his feet. Every chance he got to get up, she pressed on. He found it hard to breathe soon, and panic set in. He powered up, catching her off guard from the sudden flash. She covered her eyes, releasing her foots hold on him. It wasn't much, but it was enough for him to slip out and away from the growing woman. Instead of chasing him back, she just stared hard at him, brown eyes baring down into his blues. She then turned on her heel, walking away from him silently, headed back towards the main compound, leaving him breathless. 

* * *

_Dear Piccolo,_

 _I'm nearing the end of this pregnancy! Kami help me, I may end up killing Trunks before he sees his kid. I'm able to train again, so he and I have been sparring with very large caution. I figured out how to fight without using hands at all! I can control my ki to punch, kick and fight for me, like a shadow or an extension of myself. It's been great, being able to prank Trunks while he sleeps, making the beds, the meals, whatever! We decided on the name Keenu. When he suggested Vegeta once more, I shut that shit down as soon as he thought about it._

 _Lately, things haven't been too... good. Well, they were fine up until two days after I took leave. Trunks and I haven't been seeing eye to eye, and I think it's because of the baby being so sudden, and it being our first. I talked to Bulma about him becoming distant, but she seemed to soothe the thoughts out of my head. She told me that Vegeta did the same thing when she was pregnant with Trunks, and it took for his future self to die in front of him to warm up to him when he was an infant. I wouldn't believe her even if I saw it myself, since he's so great with Bra._

 _I was hopeful at first, but from the scene I saw before coming in here... I have my doubts._

* * *

Blasting an imaginary enemy off into nothing, Aika practiced a set of kicks, punches and blasts that went undetected by untrained eyes. After each set, she rubbed her stomach, trying to will off the pain. It seemed like once in a while, the baby would throw a fit from her power usage, so her training yet again went back to yelling at Trunks to punch faster, write or cook. Smiling a crooked one to her stomach, she held the baby with two hands, waddling towards the platform, intent on getting in the bath to soak her sore muscles.

She was cut off by Trunks walking towards her. She stopped in her tracks, watching as he approached. He smiled at her, attempting to touch her stomach, but she quickly stepped back, brushing his hand aside, then proceeded to walk again towards the bathroom. He had enough of the silent treatment. Grabbing her arm, he turned her to face him, but was met with a fist to the face instead. It was followed by two more, and a matching kick, which he all blocked. That didn't mean that she let off at any point. They soon were sparring, being extremely careful not to catch the baby in the middle of it, but it was no holds bar.

Aika grabbed for his shirt, ripping the material and scratching his chest. He landed a series of punches to her back, pushing her away from him. Her kicks were sloppy, easy to dodge and push away. She lunged at him, biting his arm as hard as she could, sinking her teeth into his skin. Alarmed, Trunks put his flat palm to her forehead, shoving her head back and off of him, but he smacked his hand away, punching him in the face and chest.

Trunks pushed on his feet, flipping her off of him and onto her back, grabbing her thrashing hands into his own, sliding them on the side of her body. His feet pinned her legs down, locking them in place. She squirmed in his hold, her eyes flashing between brown and blue. In a panic, Trunks crashed his lips to Aika's, trying to calm her down, but she bit his lip in response. Drawing back, blood slowly leaking from his lip, he sucked on the wound, trying to stop it from bleeding. She saw her chance, head butting him while he concentrated on his lip.

He rolled back from the impact, releasing her hand. She quickly pushed him off of the rest of her body, sliding to her feet. She leaned over from her standing position to grab Trunks by the hair, yanking him towards the bathroom by the fistful of his hair. He scrambled in her hold, clawing at her hands, grabbing onto anything that seemed sturdy enough to keep her from moving forward. He hooked his foot to the counter, holding on as best as he could while his hand searched for something else to hold onto. It found purchase on the door frame, keeping him still.

Aika turned to him, releasing the grip on his hair. She grunted in anger, then went to where he was, standing over his body. They had a stand off for a while, but soon she sat on his waist, wrapping her hands around his neck, squeezing. Trunks' wild blue eyes looked up at hers, trying to figure out what brought them to this point. His eyes flashed from fright to anger, grabbing her hands away from his neck with ease, pulling her to his mouth once more, keeping his hands steady on the back of her neck. She squirmed in his hold, but ceased to fight, relenting to his tongue. Soon she turned into putty in his hands, kissing him back with intensity.

Trunks took the time to grab at the buttons of her shirt, sliding each button through the loops. Soon, the shirt was on the ground. One of his hands was to her back, unhooking her bra, while the other held her hand securely in his own. She pulled away, locking eyes with him as if to ask him 'What exactly are you doing..?', but he didn't seem to care.

They had sex in the kitchen, the bathroom, and the bedroom. They lay in Trunks' bed, breathless and more relaxed than normal. Trunks felt himself dozing off, his hand stroking Aika's curls, his other holding her smaller one in his own. Just as the Sand Man was about to make him his own, the feeling of Aika leaving his side woke him up. His eyes followed her as she grabbed her clothes, placing them in the hamper, then climbed into her own bed. 

He was confused, to say the least. 

* * *

The next morning, Aika took off earlier than Trunks did, continuing her exercises from the previous day with more strength. Trunks walked towards her a few hours later, noticing that she was visibly more exhausted than she normally should have been. His brows furrowed with concern, watching his wife attack the air with more force than normal.

"I guess the rounds from last night did wonders for your stamina! Why did we not think to do this earlier?"

He felt his blood run cold. Aika's eyes were blood shot, her stare could kill him where he stood. She stopped mid kick, holding her leg in the air, turning her face towards his. Slowly, she lowered her leg, never losing the stare she had with him. Once she stood straight, her hand extended towards her right, her index finger pointing to the ground a few feet from her.

"I've been up all night, having some form of pain that I cannot for the life of me EXPLAIN. We have three months before Keenu is supposed to get here, five more in real time to get ready to kill people that want us all dead apparently, and you decide to sleep in? You don't even seem to be taking this seriously, and I'm almost sure you're just going to run off to your little 'hobby' when we get out of here.

Last night was just a test. You didn't think I noticed that you called me 'Rebeccah' twice last night? My name is Aika. You'd think if you cheated, you'd do it with someone who had similar sounding names so you wouldn't get us mixed up, but of course, you're not that smart. So let me beat some sense into that stupid fucking head of yours."

He stammered, attempting to talk, but couldn't find the words. He had to admit, that he was sloppy when it came to finding another woman in his arms outside of his wife, but knowing how strong Saiyan scent was, he was careful to wash himself, change (and burn) his clothing, and hide this woman from her. Why he cheated though, was beyond everyone but himself. Sure, Aika was more than enough and then some, but with them working practically opposite shifts, her being pregnant, and them basically no longer being intimate, he went elsewhere for attention.

The first time he cheated was the day he found out she was pregnant. The second was the day Piccolo died.

Both days when she needed him the most, he betrayed her. He had no rhyme or reason for what he did, but he did it anyway. He still loved his best friend with all of the power in his being, but he never seemed to learn the word 'self control.' What would his father think of him if he found out he betrayed Aika? What would Goten think?

What would Piccolo think?

His face turned stern, and he braced himself for what came next. 

_I think it's entirely too early on to tell if he's going to be a good father or not, but as long as he continues to want to stay by my side, I'll make sure Keenu gets the best of both worlds, for his sake at least_. _I'm going to go train now, our time is almost up here, father. I'll write to you soon._

 _With all of the love in the world,_

 _Aika._


	3. Chapter 3

It was 2AM.

Aika shot out of the bed, stammering in her sleep deprivation and panic towards the bathroom. Trying her best to keep herself silent, the girl gripped her stomach, trying to ease the pain that shot down her back, legs and spine. "Keenu... no. What are you doing... little buddy? You aren't done baking..." Her legs soon turned to jelly and she fell to her knees, letting out a short cry. Trunks was awake shortly after, sitting up in his bed.

He turned to her bed first, looking to see if Aika was laying in it, but when he saw her bed sheets were turned out, he extended his senses to feel her fluctuating one out towards the bathroom. "That can't be good..." He was soon out of the bedroom area, walking towards her weak, but steady beacon of energy. His foot connected with a puddle of liquid, and he slipped. Landing on his bottom, he winced, but noticed the scene in front of him. Aika on all fours, holding her stomach with one hand, the other placed on the floor. Her brown curls spilled over her shoulders, shrouding her face from his vision, but from the heaving of her back, to the giant dark cherry stain that was present on her bottom was enough for him to realize that something was wrong.

So very, very wrong.

Taking quick action, Trunks stood up, walking to her side. He placed a hand on her back, trying to assure Aika that he was here to help. She didn't move at first, but then leaned into his hand. He took it as enough of a signal to scoop her up from her position on the ground and get to the bathroom. He held her in his arms, taking in her quickly crumbling features. Fear struck his heart when one of her hands stroked her stomach. Keenu..."Aika... you're only seven months."

"I know! I thought these were Braxton Hicks, but when they started getting worse, I couldn-Ah!" Aika threw her head back, crying out loudly. Trunks placed her in the tub, then crawled in to face her, rubbing her legs and thighs. They had a birthing kit set up next to the tub for when it would be time for Keenu to arrive, but they didn't expect to use it so soon. The lavender haired man grabbed for the supplies, placing them all together when he turned back to her. She took her night gown off, throwing it to the side, her head resting on the back of the tub. Her face was pale. Outside of the faint blush of pain on her cheeks, her skin was nearly paper white.

He went to run a hand on her cheek, hesitantly at first, but she barely registered the touch. Brown eyes fluttered open, locking onto his blue ones momentarily before turning away, tears soon forming in the corners of them. Trunks leaned in and kissed her forehead, cheeks, eyes and lips, stroking her hair while she cried. Her arms shot out to wrap around his neck as a new wave of pain snuck in. This wasn't normal pain. Trunks steadied himself as she cried out in pain, her grip never relenting. Her legs moved up, planting them at his hips. He adjusted himself so that she had enough room, but never looked down. Aika panted, her head swooping back out of dizziness, but Trunks' hand was there to catch it, cradling it back to his neck. Aika let out one more cry of pain, and soon relaxed. Trunks felt a warm liquid touch his knees, and then something bump into him.

Aika tucked her head down from his neck down to her waist, then froze.

* * *

 _Dear Piccolo,_

 _Keenu left us this morning. Trunks has been by my side, but neither one of us can talk. I... I don't know what happened, but when I gave birth to him, I... father... I gave birth to body parts instead of a whole baby. I passed out after seeing my baby's leg next to Trunks, but when I woke up, I was in his bed. There was a capsule next to the bed, a note from him, and everything was cleaned up. I heard him crying, Pii. It was so gut wrenching. I still haven't cried. I don't know how else to. He's been trying to get me to eat, go train with him, or just hold me, but I've been catatonic. Writing to you seems to be the only thing I can do. I forget sometimes that the baby is no longer here, but that's only after I go to caress my stomach._

 _It seems like fate has a nasty habit of taking the people I care the most about away from me._

Trunks sat at the edge of his bed, his shoulders slumped over, his eyes bloodshot, staring off at the spot in front of him. Aika walked up to him, but he didn't move. Gently, her fingers pulled his hair out of the tie, letting the free strands tickle his arms. He closed his eyes as she gently rubbed his scalp. Weakly, his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him. When he buried his face into her chest, a new wave of tears escaped him.

She stared at the wall while he cried, the emotion still refusing to show itself.

Aika awoke the next day, being extremely careful not to wake Trunks. She dressed in black Saiyan armor, skipping out on the yellow vest. She left her feet bare, but tied her unruly brown curls up into a high bun, a few curls framing her face. She flew a good distance away from the main compound to not wake Trunks, then released her energy. Wave after wave, she let the ki blasts rip from her body. As the waves left her, she felt the anger she felt for Trunks leave, the pain from the loss of her father, and their child leave. What remained was the painful emptiness and the feeling of being a failure.

She fell to her back, breathing hard. Her fists slammed against the ground and she screamed. Running her voice hoarse, Aika curled up into a ball, finally crying. The raw emotion shook her body. At first, it was for the pain of loss, but after a while, she didn't know what to cry for. Trunks walked towards her after she fell, standing away from her. He knew she needed the release, but didn't know if he would be welcomed.

"Why did he leave, Trunks? Didn't he want to meet his mom and dad?" His heart broke. Aika sat up, resting most of her weight on her right hand. She looked off to her left, looking off into the vast nothingness. He closed in on her, standing merely inches from her. Brown bloodshot eyes looked at his blues, holding the gaze. Cracking a crooked smile, she stood to her feet, closing the distance between the two of them. His arms wrapped around her waist, their gaze never wavering. He went to speak, but her hand covered his mouth.

"Hey, at least when we get out of here, you can sleep with your girls without feeling like a deadbeat dad."

Sliding out of his hold, Aika took to the sky, shooting off and away from his direction, leaving him in the dust.

* * *

 _Trunks and I no longer speak. He's been trying to warm back up to me, but I don't allow him to get close. Our time is nearly up, and I cannot be anymore thankful. He's gotten stronger, but he just doesn't seem to have his heart in it anymore._

 _Do you think I'm a bad person for not wanting to speak to him anymore? Do you think it's even worse that I want to kill him? I'm sure no one will miss him if I did. That's a lie, someone will._

 _I want to forgive him, but... he betrayed my trust. We lost our child though... maybe I should go easier on him._

Trunks walked into the bedroom after his shower, trying to be as quiet as possible to not disturb Aika, but was surprised to see her on his bed, wearing just a smile. They looked at each other, he not knowing what to do. _'Is this a trap..? What if she's just doing this to get a rise out of me again? This has to be a trap, but she is wearing my favorite outfit...'_ Sensing his hesitation, she knew that he wouldn't jump for it, so she made the first move. Lifting off of the bed, she made her way over to him, floating over to his arms. He stood still as her body slowly slid against his, her legs wrapping around his waist, her arms slung over his shoulders. His wet hair was pushed aside, leaving his sensitive neck open. She placed a gentle kiss to the skin, earning a soft moan of approval from that.

His arms went to her waist, holding her steady. She pulled away from his neck where a fresh red mark was, then moved to his lips. When he pulled away, her eyebrows furrowed. He stood her in front of him, holding onto his towel in an attempt to keep what little bit of his sanity together, and to hide his approval of her actions from him. Her eyes wandered to his towel, then back up to his eyes. She smiled, then went to reach for it, but his hand stopped her before she could go any further. Surprised, her wide brown eyes looked into his blues, then stopped. His eyes were stern.

"Aika, what are you doing? You haven't spoken to me in weeks, and then you do this? What's your angle? Are you just going to try to get me back for cheating? I think the silent treatment was more than enough." She shook her head, putting her other hand on the hand that held his towel, putting her body dangerously close to his own. He grunted, pulling her attention back to his face, but the slow travel of her eyes, drinking in his tanned chiseled chest and abs caught her off guard. The v cut that lead the way to the area she wanted to be at the most took her back in. "Aika!"

She jumped, turning her eyes back to his own. "I just thought that we could spend some time together. Ever since we got here, we weren't sleeping in the same bed, and since Keenu... well I just ignored you. I should have done better to try and comfort you, but instead I was being rude. I miss having you in the same bed as me. I want to forgive you for cheating. I want to start over again, get us back to the way we used to be. I miss my best friend..."

Trunks smiled, releasing her hand and moving his to her chin. Tipping her head up, he placed a gentle kiss on her lips, then pulled away. "Aijou, I should be asking you for forgiveness. I'm sorry, I love you. Let's start over." Giddily, Aika wrapped her arms around Trunks' neck. He picked her up, holding both of her legs around his waist, leaving the towel and the past behind them.

On the last day of their training in the Time Chamber, the duo scrambled to put everything back together. The machines were left untouched, so it took both of them a long time to get it set back into their capsules. Their bags were packed, and Trunks headed towards the door. When he noticed that Aika wasn't by his side, he turned to see her standing by the end table. She held the capsule in her hand, staring down at it vacantly. Trunks watched as she placed a small kiss on it, then put it in her bag, turning to him. He smiled weakly at her, and she returned it, wiping her eyes. She walked over to him, and hand in hand, they walked out of the time chamber.

Outside, Gohan, Goten, Bulma, Vegeta and Goku waited anxiously for the duo to come out. Goku was excited to see how much stronger the two of them grew, Goten missed his best friends, and Bulma was just excited to see her new grandchild. When they both walked out, they were immediately jumped by Goten. "Welcome back you two! Wow, Trunks! Your hair is so long now! So is yours, Aika!" Bulma shoved Goten aside and cooed over Trunks, poking at his chest, running a hand through his hair, and giving him a few looks over.

Vegeta moved from the pole he stood by, walking over to Aika, his eyebrows furrowed. He eyed her stomach, then looked into her eyes. They stared at one another for what seemed like hours, then after a curt nod, he placed a hand on her shoulder. Gohan was excited to see the two of them, but realized that there were supposed to be three when they came out. "Hey Aika, where's the baby?"

The two of them froze. Trunks looked over at her, watching her eyes swim with emotions before completely blanking out. She reached into her bag, holding up the capsule in her hand. She went to place it in Trunks' hand, then turned to Goku, motioning him to follow her. Dropping her bag near them, she took off into the sky, the man following after her. When they left the area, Trunks turned to the remainder of the welcoming committee with a somber smile.

* * *

Trunks typed away on his computer, jamming at the keys. He decided to keep his hair long, tying it into a low ponytail. Papers were strewn across the desk, snack wrappers and empty soda cans placed in or near the trash can. He had to finish up these projects before the enemies came to Earth. Even though his mom tried to reason with him to stay and train, he didn't see the point. The one year alone put him above and beyond his previous strengths, plus his work wouldn't be completed when they were all done killing them. Now was a good time as ever to tackle these projects.

A faint knock wrapped at his door. Without looking up, he scanned over his document once more before typing away. "Come in."

The door slid open and shut. The sound of heels clicking the ground brought him from his screen to the blonde who stood in front of his desk. Rebeccah looked at the desk, taking a few of the papers in her hands, then tossed them back in the same place she found them at. Their blue eyes met, and she smiled. Trunks groaned, rubbing his fingers on his temples. "I thought I told you to stay away. We can't be together anymore. I promised my wife I'd stay by her side."

"Yeah yeah, you said all of that. I really am sorry that you two lost your child. As tragic as that is, I can't lose you. A girl's got needs, you know." He watched as she began closing the blinds of his office, shutting the outside world out. She locked his door, then turned to him, sliding her dress off. Trunks turned away from his desk to stand, but she pushed him back to the ground, grabbing at his belt buckle. He grabbed her hand in his own, their eyes locking once more. She then took her hand back, going back to work on his belt. He watched as she pulled his pants and boxers down, freeing his need from their cloth enclosure to her mouth. Leaning his head back in the chair, he relaxed, turning his head to the desk. A picture of he and Aika sat there. Frowning, he turned the picture upside down, looking up at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry, Aika. I lied."

* * *

 _Things will be a lot better when we finally get rid of the threat, I'm sure of it. Maybe after things settle down, he and I can try for another baby. Time will tell._

 _With all the love in the world,_

 _Aika._


	4. Chapter 4

The warriors trained hard. Goku and Vegeta decided to train together for old time's sake. Gohan and Aika took to training together since their fighting style was more comparable, and Goten and Trunks practiced fusion. Well, they would if Trunks showed up to training. He was too busy trying to get as much work done for his projects, and putting in work with Rebeccah. Goten didn't mind, it gave him a chance to relax, seeing as he's never been too much of the warrior type anyway. Vegeta did, though. No son of his was going to slack off if he had the last say in it.

Days before the enemy was set to show up, the warriors got together. Any major event called for drunk shenanigans, and they all obliged willingly. Aika, Gohan, Chichi and Goku were the first to arrive. Bulma greeted them with a bouncing Bra on her hips, who was quickly stolen by Aika for hugs and kisses. Goku wasted no time going for the buffet table, his wife on his heels to mind his manners and to save some for Gohan. The eldest Son talked to Bulma about a new bioengineering project he was working on, and she was more than happy to indulge. Vegeta walked over to Aika who was engulfed with his youngest daughter. They played peek a boo, but instead of Bra hiding, she smacked Aika's hands from her face, then had a giggling fit. A smile tugged at his lips, soon winning his daughters attention. Chubby arms reached out for him, and he scooped her up, putting his youngest on his neck. She grabbed fistfuls of hair and pulled. He didn't even seem to notice.

Aika stood up, smiling at the sight, remembering to take a picture of it when they weren't noticing her later. Taking a swig of his drink, Vegeta cleared his throat, facing the now growing crowd. "Where's my brat? I thought he'd show up with you." Aika tossed him a side eye, then leaned down to grab her own beer from the end table. She finished off the nearly full bottle, then let out a burp politely. She looked down at the beer, then cocked an eyebrow towards it.

"Huh, guess I'm done with this drink, I'll be back."

She started walking away from him, but his hand caught hers. The two of them stared at each other, both stern and unwavering. His eyes widened, and she shrugged her shoulders, gently taking her hand from his own, walking towards the crowd. The brown haired girl greeted Krillin, 18 and Marron, who all said their greetings back. Linking arms with 18, they began talking about fashion while looking for something else to drink.

Vegeta grabbed his overly excited daughter from his neck and held her out in front of him. Her bright blue eyes focused on his, which earned a smile. He couldn't help but smile back, putting her on his hip. "Kid, never turn out like your older brother." Bra only cooed, grabbing at his shirt while they walked towards the rest of them.

Tien, Chiaoutzu, Yamcha and Master Roshi showed up with a box of liquor and fresh fish and veggies from the sea and mountains. The food was quickly put to the grill, and seafood kebabs were passed around, much to everyone's delight. Goten and Valese showed up later. Valese politely greeted Chichi, hit her with a series of questions that fell along the line of 'marriage' and 'children'. Goten challenged Aika to shot for shot, and quickly lost. Everyone cheered for Goten though for his effort. Once the children were put to bed, the adults really began to let loose, telling stories of old battles and old adventures they used to go on. Goku was careful to avoid telling stories about Piccolo, but one time he slipped, letting his name slide out casually. The group grew still, looking to Aika.

All she could do was smile.

The night grew late, and Trunks was still not to be seen. Vegeta grew angry, slipping off into the other side of the campus where he could feel his son's ki. Aika noticed him walk off, but ignored it, stepping inside to relieve herself and grab some wrapped up cookies Bunny made, but forgot to bring out. Sitting her glass on the counter, she unwrapped the plate, grabbing a few oatmeal raisin and strawberry cheesecake cookies from the plate, then proceeded to shove them in her mouth. A moan of pleasure erupted in her throat. She didn't notice that she was no longer alone in the room.

"Those must be really good for you to make _that_ kind of sound."

Choking, she spit the cookies out into a napkin, looking over to Gohan. The man laughed, sliding the glass door shut, walking to the other side of the counter. Aika pouted, throwing a cookie at his face, which he caught in his mouth and chewed. She slid into one of the bar stools, taking another cookie and biting a healthy chunk out of it. Passing him the plate, he happily accepted, grabbing a double chocolate chunk cookie and placed it in front of him. From where they sat, a burst of laughter erupted. They turned their heads to the scene, then Aika turned her head away, taking a sip of the amber liquid that waited for her in the cup. Gohan smiled lazily, then turned his attention back to the woman who sat in front of her, noticing her mood changed.

"You miss him, huh?" Their eyes met for a moment, then she turned away, biting a new cookie.

"More than life itself. All I do is write to him. It got even worse when we buried Keenu. I go to his favorite spots and meditate on my lunch breaks, visit the house just to have a cup of tea, and take a few of his capes. Dende lets me come up to the Lookout to talk to him. I feel like the closer to the sky I am, the closer to him I am.

I don't have the heart to clear out anything. The picture we had done when we went to Fun World, the cups he loved, the garden, the furniture... Everything is still there. I have this feeling that if I just keep it there, he's gonna show back up. He can't come home to an empty house."

She didn't even notice the tear sliding from her eye. Gohan listened to her intently, his heart wrenching just a bit as she talked. Passing her a tissue, she took it, wiping a few away. He took a sip of his beer, then passed Aika the bottle of Jack Daniels that sat near the cookies. She eyed the bottle once over, then grabbed it, filling her cup up.

"I miss him too. Piccolo told me when he first found out he was sick." Aika stared at him, then shrugged, capping the bottle. "He made me promise not to tell you since he knew how you'd react. He found out the day you all graduated high school. Piccolo's the type of guy who doesn't often share his feelings, but the day you graduated high school, college and got married were his favorite times. When I went up to the Lookout, I would talk to Dende and he'd go on about how much he gushed about you to him and Popo with no provocation.

He just said what he wanted to say, then went off to meditate. The day he died, he showed up at Videl and I's old house. He truly looked like he reached his limit. He pulled me aside and told me 'No matter what happens in life, no matter where I go, keep an eye on my daughter.' I think that's the first time I saw him cry. I worried, at first. Honestly, I don't even know how to take care of a marriage, so how can I take care of another person's life? My own wife left me for another man, so how can I take care of another?"

He went to speak again, but a pair of arms interrupted him. They stood still, arms wrapped around each other. When she pulled away, she smiled as best as she could to him.

"I think you're doing a mighty fine job. We just happened to be married to people who don't respect our feelings. That's all."

Gohan nodded, then hesitated, holding his glass up in the air. He cocked an eyebrow to her, watching as she walked back to the bottle of Jack and eyed it.

 _Dear Piccolo._

 _Today, I learned about your true feelings for me. I love you too, dad._

* * *

Trunks took the bag of his clothing and tossed it in the trash, dusting off his new pair with the back of his hand. He completely forgot about the party they were having as he left Rebeccah's building. He walked up towards the sidewalk that lead to the back garden, but was caught off guard by a stiff hand grabbing his collar, slamming him into the side of the building. Shocked at first, it took him a moment to realize what was happening. Dark eyes stared into his soul jogged his memory. _'Shit!'_

"Hey father, what's going on?" His father growled, hiking him up further by his collar. All of his teeth were bared, his stance not wavering.

"How the hell do you _think_ I'm doing? I had a few suspicions of what was going on between the two of you when I went to talk to the girl when she visits. I thought 'No, no son of mine can be _that_ stupid to cheat on his own wife. No son of mine can be so stupid as to cheat on his wife who happens to be full blooded. No son of mine can ever be so stupid to cheat on one of the most powerful beings in the _fucking universe_ for a mere human. But I was wrong, you _stink_ of the other woman. Here you are, about to walk into your family home, smelling of the lack of respect you have for her, talking to your friends, kissing her with the mouth you used on another woman. Have you no shame!?"

Blue eyes widened. Trunks knew he was caught, but he still tried to cover it up. "What do you mean..? I just came from the gym, and I showered when I was there! There's no other wo-" A punch to his gut cut him off. Vegeta threw him down hard. Trunks sat up, rubbing his now bloody arm, watching as his father stood over him. Vegeta turned on his heel, keeping his back to him.

"Go home. You're not fit to be around us. When this battle is over, I want you divorced from her. She deserves so much better than you." He turned his head to the side, looking at him through the side of his eye. "If I find out that you did _anything_ else to hurt her, I will personally end your life myself."

Vegeta turned to walk back into the party, taking a seat next to his wife. She was too enthralled in another story about Namek. He placed a hand on her back, half listening to them talk. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gohan and Aika in the kitchen joking around. He watched the two of them interact, then chuckled, turning back to the others. _'She's going to be just fine.'_

* * *

Just a few days later, the enemies that Goku warned about found Earth. The Intergalactic Squad, the name they so humbly gave themselves landed just south of West City. They set off their energy to summon who they could to the area, and a group they did in fact receive. Aika arrived first, Trunks tailing just behind her. Vegeta, Goku and Gohan showed up moments later. Goten, Krillin, Tien and Yamcha were in charge of keeping the surrounding cities safe, just in case one of them slipped off to attack innocent people. Their fail safe was Capsule Corporation. If they were to try and destroy the planet, space ships were planted around the major cities. They would rescue who they could and wish back who they couldn't.

That plan was reserved if any of the strongest fell in battle. They hoped they didn't need that.

Their leader, Octavio stood out in front of them. The alien of unknown descent stood in front of the group. His pink hair was swept back behind his shoulders, tucked in a tight ponytail. He wore a black spacesuit that was adorned with red and blue stripes along his shoulders, legs, stomach, and chest. The cape he wore around his neck differed from the others. Their body suits either had red or blue, but his was the only one who had both.

He surveyed the gang, but landed his brilliant emerald eyes on Aika. They stared at each other for a moment, then he broke the stare, nearly falling over from laughter. " Men, do you see this? I came to this planet because I registered someone worth fighting on this ball of dirt, and they most they can gather is a few dead raced warriors and a _woman._ A woman! Out of all things!" He turned his attention back to the brown haired beauty, watching as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail. The dress she was wearing was quickly stripped and tossed to the ground, her shoes kicked off, leaving her black training suit to remain. She turned her head to the side, addressing the group behind her.

"Hey, choose who you want, but the main guy is all mine. From what I read, we all should be able to handle them with little to no problem. Together though, they could prove to be a problem. Don't get too cocky." Everyone turned to look at Vegeta, who scoffed, turning his attention back to the men. He had to admit, her surveillance of them proved to be correct. Turning back to the enemy, she smiled at the leader, putting her hands on her hips. "Alright tough guys, here's the rules. Tag teams are acceptable, but three on two is a no go. If you want to test my patience, feel free to break my rules and I rip your spines out of your body, got it. We stay on this planet, in this area, no exceptions. If you want to skip them all and just go for one or two of us, go for it, just don't pout about it in hell."

Gambrio and Junco stepped forward, eyeing Gohan and Trunks down. Vesin and Illu watched Goku and Vegeta with trained eyes. Their respected choices watched them back, and they all got into fighting stance, all but Octavio and Aika. Octavio's smirk never left, and Aika's deadpanned stare stayed all the same. Soon she held up her hand, emitting a green light of energy, extending it to the four who stood on the outskirts in their respected positions. The force field assured her that there would be no escape. The only way that they'd break out of it was if she were to die. Octavio applauded her.

"Well well, the girl's got some spunk, huh? Doesn't matter. They're all going to be dead soon anyway. Ready, boys?" Each nodded, powering up close to their max levels. Aika now smiled, raising her hand in the air once more. When she snapped her fingers, the four men powered up. Goku and Vegeta relaxed comfortably at Super Saiyan 4, Gohan at Mystic and Trunks at Super Saiyan 2. The wind that their power kicked up caught the others off guard, but all the while, Aika stayed the same, just watching them. The guys were soon off to fight, taking their respective matches off within the shielded area to fight.

Octavio took in the fights going on around him, then turned back to Aika. She closed in on him with a slow stride, never changing her face. He kept his eyes on her, the smile never fading from his face. When they were mere feet from each other, he noticed the brown furry belt that was wrapped securely around her waist.

"Huh, you're Saiyan as well? Wouldn't have thought. Your hair is different from the others, but so is that purple haired one. Must be from inbreeding." Her face never changed, he didn't like that. "Tell you what, since you must be the strongest one out of them all, why don't you and I just leave this planet..? We go conquer the universe, kill a few people, command this planet and others, make some beautiful children and-"

She didn't let him finish. "I'm gonna give you 10 seconds to hit me with your best move. If your best move does absolutely nothing to me, I kill you. If it does even the slightest amount of damage to me, we fight a fair fight." His eyebrow quirked, but he did what he could, charging up his most powerful attack. The sheer power from the energy that came out of his hand made the others stop. Such an attack so close to Earth's surface could be a problem if it even got close to the core. Vegeta looked on, kicking Illu's head clean from his body.

"I hope she knows what she's doing." Goku easily dodged Vesin, finding his struggle exciting Vesin turned to his fallen friend, then grew even angrier, attempting to hit Goku with a barrage of blasts, which were all dodged. Goku punched Vesin in the face, cracking his skull in half. When he saw Illu's body drop, Goku turned to Vegeta, then pouted. "Vegeta, you didn't even have any fun with him." The flame haired man turned to his comrade, staring at his incredulous claims. "This is no time for playing!" With the pout of a child, he looked on at the two, seeming not to be phased by the energy. "Well, we knew this battle would be a quick one, but I wanted to at least try out some buddy moves with you. Now our spar partners are dead."

Gohan was quick to rid of Junco, lending his aide to Trunks. The three of them all stopped, watching Octavio power up, surprised at the amount of energy that came from them. Trunks was worried, but Gohan stayed calm, turning his attention back to the man in front of them. Soon they were rid of Gambrio, joining their fathers on the other side of the main event. Trunks couldn't help but keep his eyes locked on his wife. He knew Aika was strong, but how strong? He didn't know.

The energy around the sphere cracked the earth around them. As it grew in size, Aika just watched. When it reached full power, Octavio threw it up in the air, letting it hover above them like a second sun. Looking at Aika, he smiled, panting from the exertion, but happy with his results. The rawness of the energy raised the hairs on her skin, but she did not flinch.

"How's that, girl?" She looked up, then down back to him.

"It's been 10 seconds."

"Yes, it has. I don't follow rules very well. I'll explain the point of this piece of energy up here. The second I die, this thing turns into a black hole, sucking everything in it's path up and away. It goes with me everywhere I go, so if I move three steps to the left, it follows me. To the right, it goes as well. If I wanted to fly towards a city, guess what follows me? This little guy right here. So, if you want to kill me, go for it. Just don't be mad at me when it destroys your new home."

Aika listened to him, then turned her attention to Goku. They looked at each other, then nodded.

"So you're saying no matter where you go, that energy follow you, yes?" Octavio nodded, which earned a smile from Aika. "Great! I've been meaning to try these things out!" The girl let out a short shout, her arms and tail became covered with red fur. Her training suit ripped from the energy, her arms, torso and part of her legs were left out. Brown eyes switched to amber as she ascended to Super Saiyan 4. The men seemed to be surprised, but didn't show it too much. They all knew it was a fraction of what she could pull out. Octavio was surprised, but kept his eye trained to her.

Giving herself the once over, Aika smiled, appreciating the new form and the body it gave her hair. Once the excitement of a new form washed away, she turned her attention back to the main course. She appeared next to Octavio, grabbing his arm. In his shock, he saw the atmosphere of Earth disappear in front of him, and reappeared a few galaxies away. Aika made quick work of him, tossing him into his ball of energy. When he smacked into the ball of energy, it exploded. As the energy ripped around her, she watched to be sure that he in fact died.

The pull of the energy from the black hole being created reassured her that he was in fact gone. She scanned the surrounding planets, looking for life on them. Finding none, she flashed back to Earth, landing next to the group. The shield left the area, and soon the blue sky returned. Goku poked and prodded at her fur, taking in her new appearance.

"Wow, Aika! I knew you had some power, but it took you almost no time to get there! So this is the fourth Super Saiyan, huh? Maybe I should start training to hold this, then the two of us could really go at it!" She smiled at him, trying to stretch the material over her skin. It was a little too low cut in places that shouldn't be that revealed. Gohan blushed, looking away after realizing what she was doing, but Trunks took full advantage of it. Walking to her side, he gave her a hug, which she hesitantly returned.

"You did such a great job, love." Aika looked at him, halfheartedly smiling, turning to lock eyes with Vegeta. He nodded at her, then to his son. Trunks met his stare, then turned away. _"After this battle, divorce her. She deseres better than you."_ His father's words stung at his heart, causing him to relax his hold on her. Feeling the tension, she coughed, then took to the skies, wanting the others to follow.

"Come on you guys, we've got a party to attend!" They all agreed, following her back to Capsule Corporation, where they all drank and celebrated into the night.


	5. Chapter 5

Aika busied herself with planning. While she took time off to train for the Intergalactic Squad's arrival, different sites for new Capsule Corporation satellite stations around the world were thought up. Aika received the documents first for approval. She made quick work of them, since most were duplicates of the same plan, but switched up the last three. The Italia site was sprawled around her desk, that one being the most complex of the 20 plans that awaited her. She had her work cut out for her. Unlike the other satellite buildings that were thought up, this building was square instead of round like the rest, and instead of being just a lab and business offices, it would be one of several stations that would have an indoor jungle, full service restaurant, shopping center and penthouse suites on top. The perfect place for executives who transferred to enjoy all the spoils of luxury, while getting work done. As simplistic as it seemed, it was causing a huge headache for the woman.

The brown haired beauty put her pen down and pushed her keyboard out of her way, releasing her hair from it's clawed clip that held the curls from her face. As they sprang free, gentle hands caressed her scalp, causing a silky sigh to slip out from in between her lips. Her eyes closed, and she allowed her body to slump into the magnificent leather desk chair she sat in, feeling as light as a cloud. While she relaxed, a purple haired prince snuck into her office, shutting the door ever so gently, trying not to interrupt her blissful moment. He'd never seen her so uninhibited at work, so the sight before him was quite a treat. Loosening his tie, Trunks made his way around her desk, slowly approaching his prey. Aika's tail thumped lazily on the arm of the chair, flicking every so often. Seeing his opportunity, Trunks grabbed her tail, stroking the soft fur in between his fingers.

Aika's eyes shot open. She grabbed at the intruder's arm, gripping on it momentarily before relaxing. "Trunks, you ass! I thought someone else broke in!" Slumping back in her chair, the woman crossed her legs, squirming in her chair while he continued to stroke, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. A purr slipped past her throat, her attentive brown eyes following him while he admired her desk. His free hand looked over the building projects on her desk, his hand stopping over the Italia, studying the blueprints of the future project. He chuckled, then turned to face his wife. Standing from her chair, she draped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him close. His hands slid from her back to her bottom, letting them rest there.

Aika pressed her lips to his neck, hovering over his pulse. She smiled as the rhythmic sensation coaxed her on. Her tongue slipped past her lips to his skin, batting at his now quickening pulse. Grunting in approval, Trunks pulled her closer, pressing their hips together. He leaned his head towards hers, burying is face in her hair. The soft breath from his lips tickled her ears. "Do you _really_ want to start something we can't finish?" His words pricked at her delicate skin, which earned him a soft moan. God, whatever this woman was doing to him, he didn't want her to stop. Their eyes met, then Aika crushed her lips to Trunks', taking that tender bottom lip into her mouth, sucking on it. His eyes rolled into the back of his head. One of his hands grabbed a fist full of her hair, yanking her head back, the other hooked one of her legs to the desk. Aika choked on moans as the lavender haired prince grazed his teeth against her skin. Trunks, being the careful CEO that he was, draped his wife's arms around his shoulder, then wrapped those long lovely legs around his waist, carrying her, then firmly placed her back against the wall.

Well, it would have been firm, had the newly formed dent not show up in its wake.

In their haste, he hiked up her skirt, making quick work of his pants. As grey Armani slid down those tanned legs of his, he tossed the matching jacket open, hiking hungry hands to move his wife's Dolce and Gabbana skirt out of his way. Their eyes met briefly, then he watched in delight as her brown eyes closed in pleasure, closing the distance between their hips. He leaned her back against the wall, holding one hand to her hip, while the other rest on the wall. She gripped his shoulders, digging her nails into his skin. Baring his teeth, he held onto her hips, moving her away from the wall, giving himself more access to her. She threw her head back, brown curls bouncing behind her, a few strays sticking to her cheeks. He watched her actions, loving every moment of the pleasure he gave her. Her eyebrows knit together, tightening her grip on his shoulders.

Oh, he loved this part.

He leaned back, floating to a seated position in the air, giving him the best access to her most tender spot. He felt her build up, pulling her ear close to his mouth. One carefully skilled hand stroked at her tail, the other holding her steady, speeding up. She was practically drooling at this point. "Go on love, release. I want to feel you squeeze me into ecstasy." Almost immediately, she slammed into him, coaxing her hips to crash into his as wave after wave of pleasure hit her. He leaned his head on her shoulder, holding her steady while his own orgasm rolled out of him.

Trunks gently placed her down, letting her do the awkward shuffle to the suite bathroom. He looked at their surroundings, taking in the pushed back office chair, the newly formed dent in the wall, their liquids on the floor, and the huge hickey on his thigh that Aika did not make. _'Fuck!'_ He snatched up his pants, holding them just below his now softening member, walking towards the bathroom. Aika was just about done freshening up, patting her skirt down, spraying herself with perfume and fixing her hair. Her eyes turned to his, watching him as he walked towards the sink. She took a once over of his appearance, pausing on his thigh to a strange red mark on his inner thigh. Tearing her eyes away from the hickey, she finished putting her hair in a bun, grabbing a spare paper towel to clean off the floor.

Cleaning himself off, he noticed that the red mark was visible. He stilled, realizing that she must have noticed and continued on. _'Why do you do this to her, Trunks_ Brief?' Pulling his pants back on, he finished buttoning and belting the material, then walked out of the bathroom, watching as his wife was back to work so soon after their round. He walked over to her side of the desk, sitting on the edge. He put his hair back in its low ponytail, turning his full attention back to her. "Well, I originally came in here to ask if you wanted to get lunch, but..." She looked at him, meeting his eyes before looking away once more, focusing on her screen.

"I'll just order in. This project can't wait any longer, sorry. Thanks for the quickie." Her monotone, businesslike voice hit him like a brick. _'So you saw, Aijou? I'm_ sorry..' He lifted his hand to touch her shoulder, but stopped before he could. He already did enough damage to her. The lavender haired prince straightened out his tie, turning once more to look at his wife, then left. When the door clicked shut, Aika grabbed the picture of the two of them off of her desk, tossing it to the dent in the wall. As the glass shattered, so did the last shred of love she had for him.

* * *

Vegeta was finishing off his fifteenth sandwich when his former protege stormed into the kitchen like a bat out of hell. She held her gym bag in her hand, gripping the handle none too gently. She wore a black spandex training suit similar to his, only she wore no shoes. Her normally messy brown unruly hair was tied neatly into a bun. Noticing his son's lingering scent on her, her angry face, and the fact that her wedding ring was missing, he knew everything without her explaining. Their eyes met, and with a curt nod, he stood from his seat, finishing off the rest of his sandwich and drink, then led the way to the Gravity Room. Aika tossed her bag outside of the door, stalking to the middle of the room. When the door hissed shut, she powered up, brown locks turning blonde. Vegeta noted her sudden power change, matching her level. They stood a few feet away from each other, neither one of them flinching at the sudden change of gravity. 500G's was nothing to them. Skipping the warm up, Aika cracked her neck a few times, then charged forward.

An array of kicks, punches and blasts crashed around them. Vegeta flew backward from a punch, shaking off the attack, sending a flurry of blasts her way. She dodged all but one, slamming to the ground. Vegeta stalked after her, meeting her body with a series of punches. Grinding her teeth, she grabbed his fist in her hands, tossing him on his back. She jumped to her feet, flipping forward, giving them a few feet of distance. Vegeta stood to his feet, rubbing his arm for a second, then snapped back into the fight.

He was soon behind the girl, holding her in a headlock. She jammed a few elbows into his side, but they didn't phase the King. Instead, he blasted her back, sending her flying forward. Aika recovered, planting her hands on the ground, flipping herself back to her feet. She didn't get a chance to attack back, Vegeta connected a boot to her cheek, sending her back to the ground. While she struggled to her feet, he walked to her side, watching her movements.

"You're not fighting me with your full power, brat. What's going on?"Aika cut her eyes to him, jumping from her sitting position to crash into him, slamming his back against the wall. She released a series of punches at his face, chest and stomach, but he didn't flinch. The punches eventually melted into taps, her body shook. Messy fat tears spilled out of her eyes. Vegeta grabbed her by her hips, picking her up off of him, then sat her next to him. He watched as her brown hair returned, the once neat bun long forgotten. She gripped her fists shut, her nails digging into her skin. Soon crimson tears spilled from her skin, leaving droplets on the floor.

"Your son is a disgusting cheating bastard. I can't even believe that the same man I married, the one who was my best friend since I've known him, the one I gave my _ALL_ to has the nerve to do this to me. I had an idea before we went in the time chamber, then a few times before he proposed... but we talked about it. He promised me that he wouldn't hurt me like this... but look at us now. I'm crying my heart out, and he's dick deep in one of the three girls he circulates through. Oh, yeah. There's three girls. All of them were former interns. All of them are 20, all of them are blonde. His favorite is Rebeccah, though. I met her once, she applied for a position to work for me a year ago, but I told her no because her qualifications weren't up to par. Guess they were good enough to be one of my husband's pieces."

The tears stopped a while ago, but the pain was written all over his face. Vegeta placed a gloved hand on her shoulder. Tired bloodshot brown eyes met his onyx eyes. Tears threatened to fall again, but she didn't give them a chance. She placed her hand on his, gripping it for a moment, then let it go. She stood to her feet, reaching a hand out to help him to his feet. He took it, then nearly flew over her from the pull she gave him. The woman chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand, her chuckles turning into full fledged laughter when their eyes met. Though he was mad, he was happy to see her smile.

The duo rounded the corner, but before they walked into the kitchen, he pulled her into a hug. Her eyes were as wide as saucers. The rarely affectionate man awkwardly held her in his arms. She pat his back, then went to pull away, but he didn't budge. "My son is not a reflection of me or my family. What he's doing is despicable and goes against my code of honor. A man is only as strong as the foundation he builds his family on. Apparently, he favors sand foundations." Releasing her, he pat her back once more , leaving the stunned woman in the hallway.

* * *

A few weeks later, the brown haired beauty was back to her normal self. She seemed to be on a mission, her briefcase held securely in her hand, a manilla folder in the other. Her heels clicked down the hallway, announcing her arrival to everyone within earshot. She passed a few desks, being studied by the few interns and permanent workers on the floor. They all greeted her, and to a few she gave a smile, the others went ignored. Aika approached Trunks' secretary's desk, meeting the nervous woman's face with curiosity. With her award winning smile, she none too gently placed her briefcase on her desk, drawing the woman out of her trembles. This excited her.

"Dear Bellini, won't you tell me if Mr. Brief is in his office? I have a few things I want to go over with him." The frightened 40 year old secretary nearly passed out from fright. She pointed a finger nervously to the door, directing Aika's attention to the 'meeting currently in progress, do not disturb' sign hanging from the frosted glass. Her eyes lingered on the sign, then she turned her attention to the woman. "Ah, here. Hold my briefcase. This should be but a moment!" Bellini stood to her feet, attempting to tug at the predator's arm, but her hand was just out of grasp. She tried the knob a few times, then when it didn't budge, she kicked the door off of it's hinges, splintering it as it careened across the floor.

Trunks ripped his head up from Rebbecah's chest, all of the color draining off of his face when he took sight of his wife standing in the doorway. The blonde screamed, wiggling her way from underneath her former boss' body, grabbing what little clothes she came in with and scrambled for the door. Aika stopped her before she left, placing her fire opal ring in her hand. "Keep it, I won't be needing it anymore." The blonde nodded, not taking any more chances with the angry woman. Brown eyes burned into the fleeing woman, hearing a murmur of voices rising in volume, then locked them onto aquamarine ones.

The lavender haired disaster pulled on his clothes hastily, grabbing for his shirt while spilling a list of curse words. He heard the air crack around him, but didn't dare look away from the buttons. Each step she took, a bolt of energy flickered around her feet. The heat from her anger burned his skin, and soon she was standing in front of his desk. She tossed the manilla folder to the desk, resisting the urge to kick off her shoes. Instead, she slipped off her jacket, folding the jet black cotton material in a square, then put it on the chair that somehow got tossed away from his desk. Hastily, Trunks looked over the paperwork, then dropped it on top of the desk.

"Divorce? But why?"

Oh, if she could die from laughter, she would.

Aika's eyes flashed teal. Trunks took a step back, watching as she rounded the desk. He stood tall and strong on the outside, but on the inside he nearly peed himself. She ran a hand through his hair, taking good measures not to breath in the air around him, studying the features that she learned to love for years melt away to fear and anger. Cupping his cheek in her hand, she smiled sadly at him.

"Because my best friend betrayed my trust, yet again. I wished for so long that you'd change, but forgiveness shouldn't be wasted on you anymore, Trunks Brief. For your sake, I'm leaving you so that you can be with them. You never loved me, you loved the idea of me. Now, you can be free to bury yourself in as many women as you want."

Trunks, fighting for his one last chance, grabbed Aika's hand from his cheek, pulling her into a kiss. She melted into the kiss, letting him wrap his arms around her back. He smiled while she kissed back, letting his tongue slip into her mouth. He wasn't expecting her to bite his tongue, nor was he expecting the punch in the crotch. He doubled over in pain, horror written on his face. The dark haired woman held out two palms, cocking her head to the side.

"What's wrong, dear? Tongue tied? This should help."

Emergency sirens ripped through the campus, telling everyone in the building to evacuate. The ground shook from the sheer explosion that ripped through the CEO wing. Bulma joined the crowd of others who stood outside, noting the smoke spilling out of her son's office. She saw a red haired figure in the air, and a speck of purple hair in the rubble. She moved away from the crowd, running towards the living quarters of the campus to get her husband.

Trunks lay amongst the rubble, tossing off pieces of wall from his body. Aika hovered above him, her brown hair being replaced with red. Amber eyes stared death at him. She closed the distance between them, grabbing his neck, hoisting him into the air. As he felt the life in him slip away, she smiled wickedly at him. Gohan made it out of the building after making sure no one else was left inside to see Aika and Trunks before them. Gohan flashed his ki a few times, then made his way through the crowd, trying to shove his way past security.

"Oh dear, look at all of this damage. Maybe we should move this somewhere else, love?"

Peering through blurred vision, Trunks held his hand out towards her face, charging a ki blast. She looked down to his hand, then smiled, grabbing his arm and snapping it in two. The prince let out a blood curdling scream. Gohan jumped over the security, tossing his lab jacket on the ground. "Aika!"

Amber eyes turned to cobalt, flashing a bit of curiosity. "Oh, hey Gohan. I'm gonna take him somewhere. Keep an eye on his ki, because if you all are slow on getting him he's going to die.

The two of them disappeared before Gohan could get to them. Bustling cityscape turned into mountains of rocks. The wasteland around them was perfect. Aika looked at Trunks, taking in the fear that played on his features. She fed off of him like a leech to blood, tossing his quickly weakening body down. He crashed, leaving a crater around him. The man sat up, gritting his teeth as he mentally checked himself. _'Three broken ribs, no, four broken ribs. Broken arm, fractured shoulder blade...'_ He stood to his feet only to be knocked down again. Aika none to gently slammed his head back into the ground, repeating her actions two more times. Trunks choked on his blood, then felt himself slip out of consciousness.

The woman laid into him. Punch after punch, she felt bones crack and break. As satisfying as it was, the fact that he wasn't fighting back made her angrier. Goku, Vegeta and Gohan IT'd to their location and watched in horror as she beat him into ground beef. As the elder two took in the scene, Gohan flew over to them. Aika raised her fist once more to lay into her dying husband's body, but stopped, looking up at the demi Saiyan flying towards her. The rush from her actions died. Coming to her senses, she looked down at her fist, seeing the deep red splotches that formed a pattern. Her clothes, shoes, hair, face, everything was covered in blood.

What did she do?!

The woman stammered away, holding up her hands to Gohan. He landed, taking in Trunks' ki, then looked at the trembling girl. She dropped out of her red form, brown curls slicked back with blood. His father and Vegeta landed shortly after. The King slid a senzu bean in his son's mouth, while Goku held the both of them, glancing back at Aika before disappearing once more. Gohan tried to walk toward her, but with each step, she met his in reverse.

"Aika, please. Tell me what happened." She shook her head, her eyes never leaving his own.

"Don't! Don't come near me. I can't be here. I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... he just... I caught him... I... I'm sorry!"

She turned her back to him, ripping into the sky, breaking the sound barrier. The wind that kicked up from her flight tossed his black locks in the air. He watched as she flew off, then turned back to where Trunks was laying before. He then turned in the opposite direction, flying toward Capsule Corporation, focusing on his friend's weak ki.

"Piccolo... we need you."

* * *

"Aika, please eat. Popo made your favorite meals."

The Saiyan girl stared vacantly at the genie, looking at the food he had, then back to the bed. It was three weeks since the attack. When she showed up to the Lookout, Dende and Popo saw their late friend's daughter crash land in front of them. They cleaned her up, gave her a senzu bean, and checked in on her while she slept for three days straight. Vegeta checked in on her once, just to take note of her condition, then left without a word. Gohan came by to check on her, but she wouldn't let him see her. Dende told her that Trunks recovered nicely, but was looking for her, stating that he was 'extremely ashamed for his actions, and signed the papers.' He didn't dare come up to the Lookout, per Vegeta's request. Surely, he didn't want to rub salt in the wound.

Aika got up from the bed, leaving Popo in the room. She walked towards a quiet room, turning and shutting the door behind her. Crossing her legs, she closed her eyes, tuning into her energy as best as she could. When she was able to tune everything else out, she finally spoke. "Father, where are you?" She did this every day that she was here. Dende and Popo left her alone, listening in to a few conversations, but felt that was an invasion of privacy, so they left her alone. The conversations were simple, every day things. She went into detail about the attack, the divorce, the loss of her baby boy, and her work projects that she left behind.

What she wasn't expecting to hear was his voice call back.

"I'm here, kid."


	6. Chapter 6

"Father?! Where are you!?"

Aika's brown eyes opened, seeing the slightly blurry sight of her father in front of her. She hopped to her feet, walking slowly up to his form, but noted that it cracked once. She reached a hand out to him, but his sad smile made her stop. Him being before her was all that she needed to see.

"Have... have you heard me speak to you?" Piccolo nodded, his eyes never leaving his darling daughter's.

"Everything. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the sickness. This past year has been a mess, and there was nothing I could do to help." Aika shut her eyes tightly, shaking her head as he apologized.

"It's not your fault, father. Things between Trunks and I were messy, yes. But, as terrible as it could have been, I'm glad that it's over, and I'm really glad that Keenu didn't have to go through the loss of having his father abandon him."

A few moments of silence passed, but soon Piccolo began to speak.

"Keenu's doing well."

Her eye's widened while she struggled to find the words to say, while Piccolo opened his cape, showing a red ribbon. Aika's heart fluttered. So her baby met her father? Did that mean that her father made it to heaven, instead of the hell that a lifetime of killing destined him for?

"What... what did he look like?"

"Curly brown hair with purple streaks here and there. Huge blue eyes, your smile, Trunks' tanned skin, his fingers, your toes. His tail's mostly brown, but he had purple hair at the tip. When he arrived, Yemma was incredibly upset. When a human dies, normally he doesn't care, but based on his experience with our friends constantly running rampant through his gate, he knew something was wrong. What stuck out to him the most was that the child kept his body. Little Keenu flew up to his desk, gave him one big smile, then curled up next to him.

Yemma stopped everything. He didn't take a single soul in until he could find a next of kin related to this child. I was doing my rounds in Hell, when I was summoned by one of the guardians of Hell up to his desk. We gave each other a long look, because I didn't think I would be coming back to Earth, and he didn't exactly know what to make of a Namekian being related to a Saiyan child, but when your son cooed, my ears perked up, and my heart wrenched. Yemma asked me if I knew you and Trunks, and when I told him I was your father, he simply frowned, then passed the ball of love to me.

I was able to transfer him to the part of heaven where young children taken too young in their lives stay, but it was hard to let him go. One of the guardians told me that I could visit any time, so I have. They don't really get the chance to grow, so he will stay until another chance for him to live again."

She smiled, happy that her baby met her father. The little bit of news made a bitter day brighter.

"I'm happy that you got to meet him. But... will you tell me when he's no longer there?" He nodded his head, trying not to upset her any more than he needed to. He left out the part that he was gone three days after he arrived. A sweet soul like that needed to grace the world, not be left in heaven.

"Ai, I'd love to stay, but my time is up. They only gave me so much time to speak to you. Keep your head up. I've got a feeling that you won't be down for too long." Frantically, Aika walked toward his figure, knowing that it was futile, but she threw her arms around her father. To both of their surprise, the contact happened. He clung greedily to her, and they held each other for a minute.

When he began to fade away, his strong hands held her face, their eyes locking once more. "I love you, daddy!" He smiled, kissing her head, soaking in the memory of her while he could.

"I love you too, kid."

Silence crept back into the room. Aika smiled despite the sadness that ached in her heart. She turned to walk out of the room when something caught her eye. She crouched down, grabbing hold of the red ribbon in her hand. She knew this only meant one thing. Aika wrapped it around her ponytail, leaving the room and the last bit of her sadness behind for good.

* * *

"Popo! Hey, Popo! I want to put some flowers in my room, do you know where I could find some at around here?"

A week has passed since Aika spoke to Piccolo. She decided to stay a few more days with Popo and Dende at the Lookout, not quite ready to face the real world. Mostly, she wasn't ready to face Trunks, nor did she want to clean out their house.

Turning the corner, Aika didn't notice Gohan walking into the doorway. They bumped into each other, both of them stumbling backwards. They took a good look at each other, making sure that they didn't cause any damage. The young man lingered over her a bit longer than he should have, because a quick nudge of his shoulders brought him out of his daze.

"Gohan, hey! How have you been?" For some reason, words eluded him. He didn't get a chance to answer her. "Come with me, I've been trying to find Popo for a while now. I don't quite see how this place could be so huge." Taking his hand in hers, the brown haired beauty lead the way through the palace. Door after door, hallway after hallway, Popo was nowhere to be found. Dende didn't know where he could be either.

Finally, after an hour of searching, Popo reappeared from behind a locked door with a bouquet of flowers. When he arrived, Gohan and Aika sat on the edge of the lookout, eating a few sandwiches and catching up on what they missed. Gohan, dressed in a grey chevron suit, left the jacket on the ground to the side of him, along with his tie. Aika's pink and mint dress draped on the tiled floor, fluttering off the side of the floating platform. Not wanting to disturb them, Popo left the bouquet in Aika's room, going back into the locked room.

Aika tossed a few pieces of bread off of the side, watching as the small speck disappeared from her vision. Gohan tossed a piece himself, finding the simple action amusing. Aika decided to speak up.

"How's Trunks?"

Raising his eyebrows, the demi turned his sandwich a few times, placing it back on the plate. How was Trunks? The man nearly died at her hand. Whenever he was in the hospital, Rebeccah came to visit him, insisting that she stay by his side until he woke up. Bulma had to ban her from the ward until he could finally leave. He signed the divorce papers, and was soon living with Rebeccah. Trunks gave Gohan the keys to their house, not wanting to have that reminder of his failure lingering around any longer. He took too long to respond. That bothered her.

Slapping a flat palm to his head, she read his mind, shaking her head when the memories played through her mind.

"Why am I not surprised? When you see him again, tell him that he could keep the house. I'll be moving into my own place." Gohan noticed the flash of pain in her eyes, and it was soon gone.

"He really didn't want to move there. Goten wouldn't let him stay with he and Valese. With the new baby on the way, she didn't think it would be good for a man who doesn't respect the vows of marriage to stay with the two of them. Vegeta forbade him from coming home, and to everyone's surprise, Bulma agreed with him. He stayed a few nights at my apartment, but one night, he and Rebeccah came and grabbed his things and left without so much of a word to me.

He hasn't smiled since you've been gone. He's asked me every day if you're okay, but there's not much to tell. Every time I came up here, you were talking to Piccolo. Popo wouldn't let me get too close, and when you did come out of your meditation room, you slipped back into your room before I got so much of a word in to you."

Wait, Gohan was visiting every day? Aika couldn't believe what she heard.

"You've been up here every day for a month?" Sheepishly, he nodded, turning his head to the right, trying to hide his blush. That side of the platform seemed ever so interesting at this moment. "Why?"

"Because, you're the brightest ray of sunshine in my life. You and I have Piccolo in common, and you're the last connection to him that I have. If I lost you, my world would be dark."

Aika was suddenly gasping for the breath that escaped her.

Cheeks burning, she did what she thought was logical, which was throw the remainder of her sandwich at his face. Pieces of turkey and cheese slid from his face. He didn't get a chance to throw the rest of her sandwich back at her, because she dove off of the side of the lookout. He followed back, laughing while they played tag. Dende watched as the two Saiyans chased each other down, zipping around the lookout, their laughter echoing around them.

"Piccolo, I think she's going to be okay." 

* * *

Landing in front of the lakeside cottage, Aika took in the expansive brown brick home. She hasn't been home since the day of the attack on Trunks. From the sight of the overgrown weeds, and the length of the grass, no one has been by to take care of the house. Turning the key in the lock, she was expecting the house to be completely trashed. The house, albeit dusty, was relatively untouched. She saw a few things missing that belonged to Trunks, but the things they bought together were still there.

Carefully stepping up the open staircase, she walked across the Juliet balcony that lead to their bedrooms, hovering over the handle for the baby room. Taking a deep breath, Aika turned the gold doorknob, opening the door. She was greeted by the warmth of sunlight. The bedroom never had a chance to be used for it's intended purposes. After Keenu's death, neither one of them could bring themselves to take anything down, so they left it just in case they became pregnant once more.

Walking by the dresser, Aika looked at the empty picture frame that read 'World's cutest baby'. Keenu's ultrasound pictures, and his hand and footprints were also in frames next to the empty picture frame. She smiled bitter-sweetly, taking the ribbon out of her pocket, placing it next to the frame. She took one more look over the room, then left it, shutting the door for good.

She was too caught up in grabbing things she needed for her new place when Trunks arrived. He was about to walk up the stairs when Aika rounded the corner, a few boxes piled up high in her arms, covering her face. She didn't notice him come in, nor did she see him. He grew as still as a statue.

"a-Aika, you're here."

The boxes nearly left her hands. It took all of the self control in her body to keep them in her arms. Their eyes met, his crystal blue eyes looking into her deep chocolate ones. Holding the boxes firmly in her hands, she made her way down the stairs, placing the three boxes with the others, then turned to the new guest in the house.

"Hey, Trunks. I see you're no longer living here. You know, you and Rebeccah can have this place. I'm taking what I can from this place. I'll probably take the remainder of Keenu's stuff when you two start spawning."

Trunks watched as she stacked each box neatly on top of each other, then pressed a button, closing the packages in a small capsule. His eyes never left hers. She was in the kitchen, grabbing a few wines. Her hand paused at the one they shared at their wedding, it being both of their favorite type of wine. She gave the bottle a once over, popping the cork, grabbing two glasses, then began pouring the bubbly liquid in the glass.

"Aika, I'm sorry about how everything turned out. I didn't mean-"

"Hey, share this wine with me. It'd be a shame to let it go to waste, eh?"

Cautiously, he eyed the glass, then decided to grab it from her, sitting on the island while she sipped her own. Aika tossed a hand through her hair, leaning her head back while she downed the glass, then filled it once more. Trunks followed her lead, holding his empty wine glass out for a refill.

"Look, what you did was fucked up. What happened between the two of us was fucked up. What I did to you though, was the ultimate fuck up. I shouldn't have beat you within inches of your life. You shouldn't have cheated on me. We shouldn't have lost our child, but we can't hold onto those things any longer. If we are both going to move forward with our lives, we have to let go. I don't forgive you for what you did, but I'm not going to hold it against you any longer. I refuse. So, lets enjoy this drink, relive the good times, and try to build our friendship back up."

Flashing his award winning smile, Trunks clanked his glass against hers, downing the second glass, grabbing the bottle from her, then filled his glass up.

"I'll drink to that!"

Hours later, Gohan touched down at the once abandoned house. Aika was supposed to meet him at her new apartment during his lunch break, but when she didn't show up, he thought she just needed time to go over everything and forgot to her new place. But when the work day was over and he didn't hear anything from her, he grew worried. His first red flag was that he noticed Trunks' Porsche in the driveway. The second red flag was his shoes sitting outside of the house. The final red flag was her laughter. He knocked on the door, but when no one responded, he let himself in.

"Don't freak out, it's probably nothing. Their ki's are wavering, but they aren't gone, so that's good, right?"

Gohan saw their jackets on the floor. He noticed the multiple bottles of wine and beer scattered around the counter top. One of the bar stools were knocked over. His worries didn't cease. He saw the patio door open, hearing voices coming from outside, and decided to investigate. If they were doing anything, they'd be doing it out there. Gohan saw the two of them on the patio. The duo were good and drunk, both of them sitting in their reclining chairs in the back yard, watching as the sun dipped below the horizon. With a new bottle in both of their hands, they were in the middle of going over the time where they snuck out of Capsule Corp to go to a bar.

 _They were on spring break, so a lot of the college students were cruising down the hottest nightclubs, bars and dives in West City. It was nothing for them to get into Club Venice, with Trunks dropping 100k zenni into the bouncer's hand for his silence and their entrance. Goten left them shortly after they got in, finding Valese waiting for him inside. Trunks led Aika to the bar, ordering the two of them drinks which again, neither one of them should have gotten._

 _By 1 am, the group was good and drunk, Goten going shot for shot with one of the patrons, Trunks engaging a group of college girls in a story about his life, and Aika danced with a few guys. They would have been fine if Yamcha wasn't at the same club. Aika was caught up in a song when Yamcha came up behind her, joining the swing of her hips. They were a few moments into the song when she turned around. When their eyes met, they both froze. Trunks noticed Aika and Yamcha, the color draining from his face. He broke away from the girls, grabbed Goten, who threw up all of the alcohol he just drank on the same group of girls who wanted Trunks back, then walked up to Aika, trying to pull her away. Yamcha stopped them short. With a quick phone call, Vegeta arrived at the noisy bar to pick up the drunk children._

 _When they went back to Capsule Corp, Bulma ripped into them all, throwing out words like "responsibility" and "drunk bastard children" and "back in my day, I wasn't dumb enough to get caught!" They were all a mess, and all severely grounded for it. Goten wasn't allowed over until the next school year, and even then, Gohan had to drop him off. Trunks and Aika were locked in the gravity room and had to fight Vegeta while hung over. Piccolo didn't rip into her, though. Instead, she wasn't allowed to leave the house unless she wore something he designed for her. They didn't know if it was worth all of the pain, but it was a memory they wouldn't forget for the life of them._

"I'm surprised Vegeta didn't rip into me more than he did you. I mean, Bulma did enough yelling for everyone. From the size of the shiner on your eye though, I think I got the easiest punishment." Trunks doubled over, trying to catch his breath from laughing so hard.

"Your outfit was the best, though! I didn't even know he could make a flower print muumuu!" Aika groaned, tugging at one of her curls while she smiled, remembering how ugly the dress was. Her eyes wandered over to Gohan. She threw her hands in the air, spilling some wine in the process.

"Gohaaan! Hey you're here!"

"Yeah, because you forgot to meet me at your apartment. I can see why though. Hey, Trunks." The man nodded his head towards Gohan, taking a few more gulps from his wine bottle. Aika stood up, stumbling over her feet. She nearly met the floor when the eldest Saiyan grabbed hold of her, taking the bottle from her hand. He put the nearly full bottle on the table with one hand, while he tried to hold the drunk girl steady. Trunks trained his eyes to them, but was interrupted by a phone call.

Trunks was being scolded on the other line. He was supposed to be home for dinner a few hours ago, but Rebeccah hasn't heard from him since. Aika giggled while Gohan tried to get her to stand up, but his grasp on her hips was a bit too high. Every time he moved his fingers, a giggle erupted from the Saiyan girl, which earned him a slap on the arm. His playful smile meant that he did it purposefully. Trunks has long since stopped paying attention to his girlfriend, too enthralled in what was going on in front of him. He hung up the phone. He'd deal with that later. He couldn't get over the rage that started to build up in his body.

Trunks dropped his bottle, drawing the attention back to him. He pretended that it was an accident, giving off a drunk giggle, which earned him a giggle from Aika. She grabbed her stomach though, rubbing it.

"I'm hungry. We should order in! Trunks, wanna order with me?" Gohan placed a hand on Aika's back, trying to steady her, though she seemed not to need it. Trunks' eyes met Aika's, but the itch under his body made him want to lunge for the eldest Son.

"Sorry Ai. It seems..."He cut his eyes over to Gohan, ice blues burning into obsidian. "I'm not very hungry."

Gohan met his stare with intensity, their standoff becoming heated until Aika turned to Gohan, tugging at his shirt. "Well, since Trunks isn't hungry, want to order something when we get back to the apartment? You can take whatever you don't eat back to your place!" The man turned his attention away from Trunks, smiling sweetly at her.

"Sure, that sounds like a good plan. We can come back tomorrow and clean up the mess you two made, then!" With the thought of food happening soon, Aika was ready to go. She walked over to Trunks, throwing her arms around his neck, giving him a hug. He returned the hug, his eyes never leaving Gohan.

"Bye Trunks! I'll try to clean the house up for you! Thanks for drinking with me!" When she pulled away, she lingered her hands on his shoulders, taking in his smile, his eyes, his scent, his presence once more before breaking the physical contact. "I hope that I can get my best friend back one day. I've missed you."

The lavender haired man nodded, waving to them while they walked out of the fenced in patio. Aika was too drunk to fly, so Gohan picked her up, taking off into the air.

The sun has long since set, but the fire from its rays ignited something between the two men.

* * *

Aika has been asleep for majority of the ride back to her apartment. Since she's been staying here, Gohan has come over periodically to check in with her, but with the frequency of his visits, she gave him a key so he wouldn't have to wait for her to open the door. The loft style apartment was in the city center of West City. Compared to what the two of them were used to, this apartment was a dramatic difference that they seemed to both enjoy. Gohan's apartment wasn't too far from her place, so he didn't have to worry about a long flight home.

Using her keys, he opened the door to her apartment, being careful to shut and lock the door behind them. Kicking his shoes off, he walked over to the couch, placing her gently on the couch. He ordered food at their favorite Mexican restaurant, figuring she would enjoy it when she finally woke up. When it finally showed up, he tipped the delivery driver well, bringing the bags of food in. On queue, Aika peeked her messy curled hair up from the couch, stumbling over to the kitchen.

"Food! Gohan ordered food!" The older man chuckled, running a hand through her curly hair. She smiled, grabbing a few of the containers, looking for empanadas. They scarfed down the food, well, Aika scarfed down the food. Gohan ate a healthy share, but she seemed to put the most of it away.

With full bellies, the two of them cleaned up the empty containers. Aika went to her room, emerging a few minutes later in a fresh pair of mint green pajamas. Gohan was finishing off the cleaning when she stumbled up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"I know what you're going to ask. I can't stay tonight, Ai. I've got a busy day at work tomorrow." She tapped her head against his back, pouting.

"But Gohan, there's no harm in you sleeping over. It's not like I'm asking you to sleep with me. I just can't sleep alone." He turned himself around in her hold, firmly, yet politely pulling her arms away from him.

"I understand, and I would love to stay, but you're drunk and I've got work in the morning. If this were on a day where I had nothing to do the next day, I'd stay. This project is important for the company. Bulma's counting on me to be there."

Accepting defeat, Aika turned to walk in the direction of her bedroom, but was stopped by Gohan's firm hand on hers.

"I know, Gohan. You'll come by tomorrow to watch Game of Thrones with me, but work comes first. Sometimes, I wish you weren't so responsible. It's hard to build a friendship when one person isn't around."

"Well, that's the thing Aika. I'm not trying to build a friendship with you."

She turned, prepared to rip a new one into the eldest Son, but he grabbed her face in his hands, crashing their lips together. She wasn't entirely too sure what was happening at this moment, but when Gohan pulled away, he met her eyes, trying to get her brain to register what happened.

Breathlessly, Aika struggled to find the words she wanted to say.

"Gohan... I..."

"I won't go any further, but I couldn't let my intentions go unnoticed any longer. I care for you, Aika. But it's more than what you share with my brother and Vegeta. Being around you makes my heart ache and swell at the same time. Some days, I just want to hold you, show you all of my favorite parts of the world, bring you to every favorite restaurant, name all of the stars and galaxies I can in your name. Sometimes, I want to skip work, not really wanting to do anything but sit on that couch with you, watching our favorite shows, eating our favorite foods, making jokes. You mean so much to me, and I don't want to take you for granted. I want you to think about what I said. When you're sober, when you've had time to think it over, come to me. I'll be waiting whether you want me or not."

Gohan placed another delicate kiss on her lips, then let her go, leaving the stunned woman in the living room. He nearly made it out of the door when a gentle hand grabbed the sleeve of his coat. Their eyes met, then he smiled as he was pulled back into the apartment, letting the door slide shut.


	7. Chapter 7

The first rays of the next morning began to spill through the sheer curtains of Aika's bedroom. As golden beams searched the room for life, the brown haired beauty's head throbbed with death threats. Letting out a disapproving groan, she grabbed a handful of the comforter, sliding the goose down material over her head. Shifting her body to get comfortable once more, the life nearly snuck out of her when a hand shifted on her hip, caressing her back before finding it's new place on her stomach. One eye shot open, looking at the porcelain hand. She followed the arm that accompanied it, eventually running into the owner.

Sleeping peacefully at her side, Gohan's face reflected the youth that he still had, though he was years older than the other. She took in the soft curve of his lips, the gentle pink notes that mixed with snow white. His dark lashes, chiseled jaw, strong cheekbones, everything about his face was perfect. Running a hand across his cheek, she took in his resting features. Stirring for a moment, Gohan knit his eyebrows together, drawing her body closer to his with the arm that was around her. She let out a soft chuckle while he buried his face in her clothed chest. Holding true to his promise, he didn't try to go any further than a kiss. This was something that still had to be explored with care, and neither one of them could handle diving into the unknown of a relationship.

But neither one of them minded.

Gohan placed feather light kisses on her neck, turning her head down to meet his lips. Hesitant at first, he kept the kisses closed mouthed for now. The mixture of morning breath, alcohol and Mexican food lingered from his partner, and he was almost sure that his breath didn't smell like the field of daisies. Aika was content either way. Still groggy with sleep, the two of them fell under the spell of sleep, nodding back off.

The sun found its comfortable spot against the wall, lighting the room, rousing the demi from his sleep. Aika was out cold. Rubbing his eyes, Gohan adjusted his vision to the brightness of the room. He looked over at the mess of curls peeking out of the sheets. The gentle rise and fall of her back, the snore, and her lips slightly parted let him know she was good and out. Not wanting to disturb her, he slid from his spot on the bed, pulling the comforter back into place. Seeing that the clock read 7:15am, Gohan left Aika's room to prepare for the day. Being mindful to shut the door quietly he took the short walk down the hall from the master bedroom to the spare bedroom. He made his way to the closet, sliding both of the french doors open, taking in the mish mash of clothing. A combination of her winter coats and his suits ended up mingling together. He chuckled, wondering how so many of his clothes ended up over here. "Huh, guess I moved in here without knowing it."

Grabbing one of the suits from the hanger, the nagging feeling that more of his things were in this closet made him explore more. Sure enough, a pair of shoes to match the suit, undershirt, underwear, socks and even cologne were in there. Well, a few of the things were his, others seemed fresh out of the pack. He couldn't help but laugh at this point. _'She bought all of these things for me?'_

Putting on the finely tailored Paul Smith navy blue suit, he made his way back towards the living room, leaving a few dollars on the counter and a messy note. He threw the last of the trash from the night before away. Before he could leave, he went back into Aika's room. Her face seemed to win the battle with her hair, peeking out from the unruly curls. He smiled as he approached her bed, kneeling at the side of the bed. With a careful hand, he pushed a few strands of chocolate swirls away, kissing her lips gently. She smiled in her sleep, stretching her arm out from under the comforter. Without rousing from her sleep, she turned to lay on her back, her arm flopping lazily to her side.

"Bye Gohan."

"Bye, Aika. I'll be checking in on you later."

She muttered something incoherently, but at that point, she was stolen again by the Sand Man.

* * *

"Ah! What did I _drink_ last night? Better yet, what _didn't_ I drink last night?"

Stumbling out of the bathroom, Aika rose from her sleep at the early time of 1pm. The shower seemed to help out with the general grogginess that matched the hangover that waged war in her head, but the grumbling of her stomach told her to refuel or she would lose. Quickly dressing in an off the shoulder moss green shirt, grey sweatpants and fuzzy purple socks, she went on a mission to find something to eat in the kitchen. The empty refrigerator and cabinets made her heart sink. "Why don't I go grocery shopping..?" Sighing in defeat, she turned to find a restaurant menu, but paused over the note Gohan left on the counter, along with the zenni that sat neatly next to it.

 _Hey drunky brown. Figured you'd be hungry when you finally wake up, so I left you some cash to order whatever you wanted. I would ask you out for lunch, but you'd probably wake up too late for all of that._

 _Hope you feel better soon._

 _-G_

 _P.S: Call me when you wake up. You've probably missed five of mine already._

Aika snorted, tossing the note back on the counter. After ordering herself plenty of noodles, looked through her missed call history. Sure enough, Gohan called her five times. He ignored her first few, then on the third call, he finally picked up. The hum of machines and metal being welded together played in the background. Feet shuffling, then a door shutting were heard next. The creak of a leather chair was the last sound that played before he finally picked up the phone. "Morning!"

"You know good and well it's afternoon. Don't play those games with me, Son."

Gohan laughed heartily, which hurt Aika's already doomed head. She opened a drawer, pulling out the bottle of medicine. She took two, grabbing a bottle of water, downing some of it in the process of washing down the pills. "How did you sleep? From the drool puddle you left, it seemed good."

"Oh quiet. I slept fine. More importantly, how was the meeting?"

"It was good. We approved the new budget for the next 6 months. Space exploration is about to _explode_ for Capsule Corp. We're going to be the first company to successfully travel the solar system within a year. It's big for the company, but a cake walk considering Bulma and I already went to Namek. They don't need to know that, though." Aika smiled, enjoying this bit of feather ruffling Gohan displayed vocally. He never really gushed about his past travels, so this was a rare treat.

"That sounds wonderful, Gohan. I wonder how Planning's budget is going to look? We haven't really gotten any new projects to play around with, so I've been working from home for the most part. Lately, everything's been about maintaining what we've already done."

"Yeah, that reminds me. She told me to tell you that she wants you to stop by. Something about work and Bra wanting to see you." Gohan aimlessly clicked on a few pictures on his computer, looking over a few of the files he had in the folder. He smiled at a picture of Aika covered in cake from the party they threw for the _Italia_ project.

The fact that it was estimated to take 2 years to complete, and was done in 8 months without a materials mishap, and extremely under budget was something worth celebrating. To honor her, the crew that worked on the building presented her with a cake, then proceeded to throw handfuls at her. In good nature, she retaliated with handfuls of her own. Dodging cake grenades, Bulma managed to snap the photo of her before she was pelted in the face with cake.

Aika paid the delivery driver with the money Gohan left for her, then sat with her goodies on the island, taking a few hearty slurps from the container. Swallowing, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, blotting the back of her hand with the napkin on the table. "Oh, I will, thanks for the heads up. I'll head over there when I'm done with lunch. Do you want me to bring you some?"

Before he could protest, his stomach grumbled. Patting it, he let out a heavy sigh. "That would be great, thanks. I'll see you when you get here."

"Or will you?"

* * *

He didn't.

Aika snuck up behind him in the lab. Gohan, completely immersed in the design for a turbine that the rocket would use, didn't notice the new ki that popped up behind him. His fellow partners laughed to themselves, giving quick greetings to her before turning back to their work. Aika tapped his shoulder, propelling the demi forward into the turbine. Before it could fall down, he grabbed it, settling it upright. Completely disregarding the fact that he should be more mindful to hide his powers, he turned on his heel to see the giggling full blood standing in front of him, arms extended with food.

He was mad, but how can one be mad with delicious noodles in front of them?

"Gotta be careful. You never know what could happen in this laboratory, Gohan."

"I wouldn't have to be careful if certain people didn't sneak into my domain."

Snatching the bag, he playfully shoved her away. She caught his arm when it pulled away from her, latching onto it. She walked him to his office, leaving him in front of his office. He surveyed the seven boxes of noodles, nearly drooling at the sight. Aika looked down at her phone, seeing a new missed call from Bulma.

"Ah, I've got to go meet her now. I told her I'd be there a few minutes ago! Enjoy lunch!"

Stopping her before she could go any further, Gohan took the wrist in his hand and yanked her towards him. Before she could lose her footing, his hand steadied her, moving from her wrist to her chin, pulling her in for a brief, chaste kiss. She, along with a few others around them were surprised by it. _'Thanks for everything you've done for me, dear.'_ With a playful smile, he pulled away, opening the door to his office.

"I leave at 6:30 tonight. I'll be over later for Game of Thrones and Greek food, but you pay this time."

The soft click of the door brought her back to reality. Recovering messily, Aika turned to walk away, bumping into the other startled people. She apologized, quickening her pace to leave the lab. From the murmur, she knew for sure the kiss would be the buzz of the company for the next few weeks.

* * *

Aika found Bulma on the patio. In a rare sighting, Bulma payed homage to her younger days, reading the latest gossip magazine, drinking a mimosa and taking drags of her cigarette. Scrunching up her nose to the foul smell, the full blood pulled up a seat next to her, pulling the older woman from her 'latest tip to lose weight and bang your man like a champ' article. She went to greet her, but from the face the younger one made, she snuffed out the cigarette, moving the ash tray to a separate chair, giving way to fresh air once more.

"You know, Vegeta made the same face. Trunks was the only one who picked up the habit for a few days. The second his father -literally- caught wind of him, he beat the cravings out of him. Sometimes, it's so easy to forget that Saiyans have stronger senses of smell than us."

"Yeah, it's both a blessing and a curse at times. So, you wanted to talk to me?" Bulma ran a hand through her short blue hair, knocking a few strands away from her brilliant blue eyes. In the background, Bra ran around her grandmother, holding out pots of flowers for Bunny to plant, which she happily took from her. Bra prattled on about everything, from her favorite color, funny things Vegeta did, what she learned in school while the blonde listened intently, reacting when she needed to. The interaction was definitely worth watching.

"Yeah. Your projects are going fine. The budget is staying the same, which I feel is more than enough, but that isn't the reason why I asked you to come." Aika watched as Bulma took a long sip from her glass, eying the level that was left, then took a few more sips before placing it back on the table. She never met her eyes, settling her back into the chair, crossing one leg in front of the other.

"Trunks hasn't been to work in a few weeks. He only returned yesterday, but extremely hung over. I told him not to come to the meeting. He was still dressed in the suit he wore yesterday. When I asked him what he did, he told me that the two of you 'made up.'" She cut her eyes over to Aika, watching the color drain from her face. Defensively, she raised her hands in the air, waving off any attacks that the blues could lay on her.

"It wasn't even like that! He came over to the house when I was cleaning it out. Instead of flipping out on him, we got drunk on the wine from our wedding and shared old stories. It was the most fun either one of us had together in a _long_ time, Bulma. We didn't even laugh that much in our _marriage._ If that isn't saying something, then I don't know. I don't know what time he left, though. Gohan came and flew my drunk ass home since I couldn't even walk straight."

Bulma paused mid sip, letting the rest of the words she just heard sink in.

"Wait, Gohan flew you home? Did he ever go back to his apartment?"

Aika shook her head. Bulma dropped the glass in her hand. Before she could even clean it up, one of the robots came and swept up the mess. Bulma turned her full body over to the young woman, leaning over the table while gripping the sides. The sly look she played on her features let Aika know she was steps away from dangerous territory.

"So... if he didn't go back to his apartment, did he stay at yours?"

What was she headed for?

Taking that highway to the danger zone, she replied. "Yeah."

The sound Bulma let out nearly broke all of the glass in the vicinity. Bra and Bunny turned from the garden, trying to figure out what was happening. Bulma stood so fast from her chair that it fell on it's back. She had Aika's hands in her own, bouncing up and down in excitement. Bra, finally realizing that Aika was here, dropped her shovel, running full force towards the woman she admired. She joined her mother in cooing over the brown haired beauty. The youngest wrapped her tiny arms around her waist, the oldest trying to draw any and all information from her.

"I'm not dumb, ya know. It was only a matter of time before the two of you decided to take the next step! So, is he good? Have you two gone all the way?"

"Aika! Aika! I haven't seen you in forever! Your hair's gotten longer! Are you staying over for dinner tonight? I have so much to show you!"

"What am I asking? Have you two even kissed? Ah, you have kissed! I knew it! Your red cheeks and shocked face gave it away! Was it nice? I bet it was nice. Oh, the girls in the lab owe me money! We thought you two would have waited a while before jumping onto each other, but with you fresh from divorce and him a year into it, it was bound to happen soon!"

"Grandma and I are planting a garden! She lets me put in any flower I want, but I have to make sure I keep it watered. Want to help me put a few flowers in?"

Flustered, Aika could do nothing but be tugged from both sides by the Brief women. Bunny giggled, turning her back from the girls, finishing off the few plants, patting the soil around them. _'What did I get myself into?!'_

Just when she thought it would never be over, Vegeta slid the door to the patio open, grimacing from the smell of the cigarettes and the sounds his wife and daughter were making. The two Saiyans met eyes, exchanging words without breathing one. He none to gently removed the girls from her, then grabbed a handful of Aika's hair in his gloved hand, pulling her towards the gravity room.

"Just because we're technically no longer family, doesn't mean you stop showing up. I expect to see you here every morning before work for training. Don't let Kakkarot's brat distract you. Better yet, you can tell him that he's to join you every morning as well."

The door hissed open. With the flick of his wrist, the King tossed the girl into the room. Landing on her feet, she tied her hair in a bun, kicking off her shoes. Vegeta keyed in the correct amount of gravity, giving the two of them time to adjust to the new pressure. They sized each other up, then were soon blurs to the world, pounding into each other. She missed this. Though he was right, they were no longer family, she could never not see them as anything but. To her, the danger zone wasn't all that bad.

Not bad at all.


	8. Chapter 8

As usual, I only own Aika/Celise. 

Thanks to everyone who has liked/followed this story so far! It's a huge boost of confidence!

* * *

"Ah! I think that's the last of the trash!"

Slinging the bag over the Juliet balcony to the pile on the floor, Aika wiped sweat off of her brow. The added bag created a cloud of dust that Gohan was none too happy to be greeted with. The dirt pile he corralled together has since fallen, giving him an added 5 minutes to the task at hand. She watched him diligently sweep the wood floors, getting the remainder of the dirt into the pan and tossing it into the trashcan. Just as he leaned the broom on the wall, his partner slid in between him and the wall, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He leaned in to her, giving her a gentle kiss, caressing her sides. She rubbed her sweaty forehead on his shirt, earning a groan and a smack on her bottom.

"Careful now, we don't want to have to clean up more messes…" He paid her no mind, burying his face in her neck, taking in a labored breath. Firmly placing her against the wall, he caged her in with both arms at her sides, his heated gaze trained to her.

"What messes? Do you mean the trash on the floor, the dust on the cabinets?" His voice lowered as he leaned in closer to her ear, speaking just above a whisper. "Or do you mean the debris from the wall when I pound you into it?"

' _Holy shit, Gohan. Don't do this to me.'_

"I... I…"Her heartbeat doubled. Their eyes met. Her tail unraveled, carelessly frizzing and flicking by her side. His eyes caught it out of his peripheral, igniting the fuel for his next attack. He lifted her in the air, placing his knee against the wall. He slowly lowered her down onto his leg, hooking one of hers around his waist. Never taking his eyes off of her, his hands began to wander, sliding from her hips to her stomach, leaving feather-light touches behind in its wake. She was melting in his touch, and for a split moment she caved, but her senses came back to her, and she pushed him off of her, enough for her to slip from his hold and out of a possible mess.

"Not here. Not now. Not here and _definitely_ not right now." Gohan nodded, adjusting his clothes and _himself_. Going back to his work, he placed a kiss on her cheek, giving her a warm smile. Her face was still returning to a normal shade, still unable to meet his eyes.

"Whenever you're ready, Ai."

As she promised, Aika cleaned the remainder of the house, whether Trunks moved in or not. The great debate of who owns what was laid out in their divorce agreement, which didn't have much in it besides spousal support and that she owned every piece of property they got together. Hell, even the shirts he bought since she was partial to them were hers. He knew she needed none of it, nor would she take it, but it was the least bit that he could do to help soothe their failed marriage.

The house smelled of old wine. The bottles that littered the kitchen and patio remained the same when they both arrived. The bedrooms were relatively clean. It was a matter of getting all of her and Keenu's remaining items. Outside of the small party and the dust, it didn't take them long to fix the place back up to its original state. The project was supposed to be a solo one, but that quickly changed mid spar. She planned on doing it alone after her beat down training session with Vegeta and Gohan, but he insisted that he help get everything perfected, being the organized one, that is.

In all honesty, he didn't want to risk the chance of her alone with her ex again.

Blasting the last pile of trash and putting items in capsules, the duo surveyed their work. Everything seemed to sparkle. Orange and pink light pinned itself to the walls, signaling the end of another day. Gohan walked towards the closet, needing to put the broom back in its original space, but stopped dead in his tracks.

Aika stared out the window, her dirty shirt cradled in the nook of her elbow while her hand rested on the counter, waves of brown curls cascaded down her back, the last curl stopping mid back. Her matching brown tail curled protectively around her hips, the tip flicking absently. With the colors dancing across her skin, the curls seeming to glow, she looked almost picturesque.

"Hey Gohan, when are we supposed to be at your mother's for dinner?" The demi was at a loss for words. She turned to look at him from over her shoulder, turning her body just enough to see his full face. He has since lost the broom. "Uh… Gohan…"

' _Shitshitshitshitshitshitshessohotwhyisthishappeningohmanohmanohman. Did she talk?! I think she said something. I'm supposed to reply back, but what did she say? SHIT is she coming this way? Ohmanohmanohmanohman.'_ With the grace of a bull in a china shop, he bent down to grab the broom, missing it entirely. Instead, he grabbed his shoe, yanking his foot from underneath him, falling straight to his bottom.

Completely flustered at this point, he found the broom, stood to his feet and to attention, locking eyes with the beauty in front of him. His concentration didn't last very long. His eyes drifted from hers to the pretty purple lace bra, her tight stomach, then to the shirt that now covered his face.

"I swear to Kami, it's like you've never seen me shirtless before! I don't know what's gotten into you lately, but it's like you're falling apart every time I'm near. It's like-"

"I'm in heat."

Silence.

Aika's eyes were as wide as saucers. Now was her turn to become red in the face, running up the stairs to her and Trunks' old bedroom to grab another shirt. The entire time, she scolded him in Terran, Namekian and the Ancient tongue. Gohan chuckled, putting the broom away, waiting for her to come downstairs. Returning with a long sleeve and a sweater, the full blood just eyed him. He gave her the warmest smile, which made matters all the more worse.

"Why are you around me? Isn't this difficult for you to do?"

"Very much so."

"So… why does it look like you're handling it very well?"

"Ai, I've had years of practice on how to control my urges. Lately, it's been a test, since you're much more trouble than I expected. But with patience… I've been getting by."

Of course, by patience, he means an extra 10 minutes in the shower every morning, and stopping by his apartment before going over to her place. His lotion supply has been depleting by the tenfold. Aika, staring off in space took some time to process everything, and then nodded.

"Well, I'll try to be more careful when I'm around you. Sorry for not being more considerate." Holding his hand, they walked out of her old house. Gohan, floating mid air, waited for her to lock the door. She quickly joined him, holding his hand. "Let's go get some of your mother's cooking! I'm starving!"

"Yeah, me too!"

Undetected, Trunks watched the pair fly from the house. It took all of his control to keep his energy down. He wanted to stop by the house to see if Aika was in there alone once more, but when he sensed two ki's instead of one, he laid low. He arrived in enough time to see the oldest freak out about the girl being shirtless, to them leaving. Everything about this situation was completely wrong.

"Tch, so much for the 'promise'..." 

* * *

"Oh, Aika! It's just so wonderful to have another woman in the kitchen with me!" Adding seasonings to the boar stew, Chichi buzzed in the kitchen, chopping vegetables one moment, then checking the oven for the ribs.

"Anything for you and your amazing food, Chi! Oh darn. It looks like I left the carrots outside."

Leaving her half pile of peeled potatoes, Aika walked outside to get the remainder of the ingredients for dinner. Gohan and Goku sparred in the backyard, trying to kill time. Pausing from their battle, the men waved. Gohan waved a few seconds too long, leaving the window open for the eldest to leave a right hook to his jaw, bringing him back to business.

With the carrots in hand, she made her way back to the house, placing the bulk on the counter next to her current project. Soon, she was back to work. Musing over her cooking, Chichi placed a lid over the pot, joining Aika in her peeling process. The two women worked diligently. The older couldn't help but notice the younger pause her work to look out the window, watching Gohan try to best his father.

"You're really good for my Gohan. All he does is talk about you." The temperature suddenly jumped a few degrees. Sheepishly, Aika peeled the final potato, moving on to clean the carrots. Chichi, amused by the younger's actions continued to talk. "He comes and asks his father how to fix things around the house, but he comes to me for recipes and woman advice. It's absolutely adorable."

The door opened, and two dirty Saiyans walked into the kitchen. Goku, tattered gi and all wrapped his arm around his son. Gohan, now featuring a ripped white t shirt and dirty jeans, stumbled to keep up. After a brief struggle, Gohan was released from the hold. Ever the doting husband, Goku laid a sweaty kiss on Chichi's cheek, rubbing her back softly.

"Hey Chi, dinner sure smells wonderful!" Nearly undetected, the eldest Son grazed his lips against his wife's ear, leaving a faint kiss on the lobe before pulling away. Her red face told it all. He turned to the other woman, smiling from ear to ear. "Aika, take a good look at her skills so you can cook like this for Gohan one day!" Two pats to the shoulder, and the warrior went to go shower.

Aika side eyed her peeling partner, watching as she struggled to recover. Using the distraction to his advantage, Gohan snuck up to her side, leaning in for a sweaty kiss to her cheek. Just as he leaned closer, Aika turned to grab a carrot, finding herself with a face full of lips. They pulled away at the same time, the demi laughing at her unhappy face.

"Waaah, Son! You gave me sweaty kisses! Go get in the shower!" When he didn't leave, she grabbed the nearby towel, flicking at him. The attack failed to connect three times, Gohan evading them as he left the kitchen. Fluffing the towel back to its resting place, Aika coolly grabbed an unpeeled carrot and got back to work, promptly ignoring the side eyes she was being dished. 

* * *

"Hm… that should do it. Hopefully Bulma approves this."

Standing from her leather chair, Aika stretched her arms above her head, leaning her upper body backwards to get the stiffness to leave her joints. Feeling accomplished, she emailed the proposal for the new Britannia project over to her boss, closing the laptop for the night. This past week has been exhausting for her. From cleaning her old house out, to trying to get new work flowing in her department, the brown haired beauty found she lost quiet time. Gohan didn't seem to be fairing well either, pulling doubles in the lab trying to get the turbine attached to the spaceship. You'd think they had a machine to do that for them, but since he knocked over the turbine, everyone wanted to see him at work with his 'Superman-like' capabilities. Of course everyone who paid witness was sworn to secrecy. Putting the pieces together wasn't the difficult part, it was a matter of getting them balanced perfectly which threw the demi into a tizzy. If there was even a .00001% chance of it being off, he had to start over.

Aika missed his company, but she can't entirely say that she didn't mind having her space back. Wine glass in hand, the woman sauntered over to her stereo, turning on her 'relaxation' soundtrack. When the first song began, she smiled, swaying her hips and lazily taking a sip from her glass. A night in was just what the doctor ordered. She got to work, changing her bed sheets, rearranging her kitchen, switching the color scheme on her dining room table, and switching around the living room. Surveying her work, she seemed pleased.

"Good job, Kei. Time for a celebratory bottle of wine!"

She was close to the pantry when a knock rapped at the door. She stopped mid way, taking a glance at the clock. Normally, at 7:30 in the evening, the only two people that would dare come over would be Gohan or Piccolo. One was at work, and the other… well. Besides, Gohan wouldn't knock, he had the key. She couldn't sense their ki, which put her on alert. Putting the glass on the counter, the woman made her way to the door, placing a hand on the door, trying to peek through the viewing hole. A cold chill ran through her body. A stiff hand struggled to unlock the door, but once it was done, it was as if she saw a ghost.

Dressed in a black suit with a hunter green button down shirt, smelling of Armani code and cognac was her ex husband. Casually, he brushed his bangs out of his eyes, striking her dead with that smile of his. She couldn't find the words to say. Finally, after moments of being silent, the Prince cleared his throat, knocking her out of her shock.

"Hey, Ai. How are you?"

Suddenly feeling embarrassed, she blushed, grabbing the bottom of her sweater. "Oh hey. I'm fine. Come in! Sorry about the appearance, I just finished rearranging the apartment." He smiled once more, the chills returned. He stopped in front of her, his crystal blues locking onto her rich browns, the smile never leaving his lips.

"Don't worry. I'm not here for the apartment, I'm here for you."


	9. Chapter 9

Yeah yeah, I know, long time. As usual I only own Aika/Celise

* * *

Receiving no invite in, Trunks assumed that he could come in, pushing the solid oak aside, slipping off his Sutor Mantellassi shoes. Aika slid the door shut while her ex slipped off his suit jacket, resting it on a chair before turning around to face her, that smile never leaving his face. For a moment, it seemed almost devious, but whatever he had planned, he masked it well. Trying to keep her calm, she walked back into the kitchen, grabbing a new wine glass and matching bottle to share with her guest.

"Your apartment looks lovely. Whatever organizing you've done has surely paid off." He took in the small details of the place, glancing from the large anchor grey sectional that was draped with a fluffy white blanket and a moss colored men's sweater, to the island in her kitchen, where the wine glasses sat, and a note was tucked under a take out menu. "You've always been good about making a house feel like a home." He walked to the island, trying to make out what the note said, but was cut off by the glass being slid in front of where he stood.

"Thank you. It's a wonder what a little free time and a bottle of sauvignon blanc could do for you." The beauty took a sip, watching Trunks' eyes move slowly over to the note. _'Hm… Gohan must have been here last night..'_ Aika watched his gaze, connecting it to the note. She simply shrugged her shoulders, placing the glass down on the counter and slid a bar stool around for her to sit. "So, my dear ex husband, what brings you to my place?"

His attention returned back to Aika. He figured he could grab it later to read."Oh, I just figured I could pay you a visit, no harm in that, correct?"

Psh, alright. Her deadpanned expression told him all he needed to know.

"Fine, fine. I was just checking in on you. Outside of the random pop up at the old house, I wanted to see how you were… holding up. I just stopped by after work since I was in the neighborhood." Had she not been at the main campus this morning, Aika would have believed him. His eyes also betrayed him.

"That's a lie, Trunks. I was just there this afternoon visiting Bulma. She says you haven't been to work in a week. Also, when you lie, your pupils widen slightly. It's subtle enough for most not to notice, but after spending years getting lost in them, you learn little details."

' _Well, there goes my excuse.'_

Clearing his throat, Trunks fidgeted around with the glass, trying to look around to find anywhere but her to stare at. "Well, that is true. I haven't been to work. I've been trying to figure out a good way to go back to work without being shunned by my employees. It's been hard trying to transition from being admired for being a doting husband and boss to lying scumbag who chooses the mistress instead of his wife." He glanced over at her, trying to get a read on her, but he was met with the deadpanned expression once more. He immediately regretted not playing poker with her as his partner now. ' _No sympathy…'_

"It worried your mother that you weren't even returning phone calls. When she told me about that, even I got a little concerned. What's up? Is it Rebeccah? She hasn't been forbidding you from working, right?" Trunks snorted, waving his hand in the air at the thought.

"No, not that. It's exactly as I said it. I just… don't know how to get over working with people who hate me." The stone wall finally cracked with a smirk, then a chuckle. Aika took another sip from her glass, swirling the liquid around.

"I can't give you advice on that. I spent a whole month on top of the world hanging out with God and Popo, talking to my dead father for hours on end, only for him to show up finally for 10 minutes to tell me that our dead son was doing fine, then got a second chance at life. I'm trying to figure out when I should return to work."

"Wait… you talked to Piccolo? He saw Keenu?"

Aika paused, realizing that she has never told anyone but Gohan about her stay at the Lookout. It didn't seem like the type of thing worth sharing, but when it pertains to the father of her child, maybe she should have let him know.

"Oh… yeah. Piccolo said he showed up in his Terran state instead of a cloud. Pii watched over him for a while, and when he came to visit him one day, he was gone. The guardians of the Children's Garden said that when they leave, they've been reborn. Whoever received him is the luckiest person in the world."

Silence fell over the both of them as they quietly reflected on their son. These past 6 months have been awful for the two of them. With emotions running as high as they have been, and things just drastically changing, they haven't truly been able to take a break. Trunks reached into his jacket pocket, grabbing a box and tossing it in her direction. Aika stopped it before it could slide off the counter completely. She gave it a little shake, then opened it, taking out the small bracelet with the initials KB engraved on a round metal pendant. A garnet sat just above it, sparkling when the lights hit it. The full blood was moved to tears, Trunks made his way to her side of the island, pulling her in for a hug.

"I have one as well. I figured it was a good way to remember him." She shook gently in his arms, her tears staining his hunter green shirt. He rubbed her back while she hugged him, her grip squeezing from time to time. Minutes later, the tears stopped. Trunks helped her put the bracelet on, and she just admired it in between sniffs. He stayed by her side, rubbing her back, trying to comfort her the best way that he could.

Their eyes met, cloudy browns meeting soft blue. She wanted to hate him so fiercely, but he was her oldest friend. They practically grew up together. Despite the hell they put each other through, they would always be family, no matter what the circumstances. He smiled at her, for once dropping any charm he tried to lay on her and immediately warmed her soul. "Keenu would have been a heart breaker if his eyes were as soft as yours. We would have been fighting off every caller!"

Trunks laughed heartily, leaning against the counter. "Oh man, can you imagine the amount of letters he would have gotten from admirers? Stunning good looks, sweet demeanor, good looking parents? He probably spared us tons of headaches. If he was anything like the two of us, we would have had our work cut out for us." Aika laughed now, doubling over from the thought.

"Yeah right! He wouldn't have had a chance to act out of line with Vegeta and Piccolo as his grandfathers! Can you imagine?"

The duo laughed more, sharing stories of what Keenu's life would have been like had he stayed around. They didn't say it, but this back and forth was very therapeutic for the healing process. Trunks sat back down in his stool, listening to one of Aika's ideas on their son when his hand brushed against the piece of paper once more. He grabbed it, looked it over, then tossed it down on the counter. Aika looked to the note, looking from the paper to his eyes, studying them carefully.

So this is going to get mulled over, huh?

' _Well, here goes nothing.'_ Trunks took a few gulps from his cup, placing it on the counter to fill it once more. "He stayed over last night?"

"Yeah, he's practically moved in at this point." Stab to the heart has been successful. Trunks was hurt, but he let it glaze over. More information was needed. "The guest bedroom is full of his stuff. We were supposed to watch shows and eat Greek tonight if you want to join." She watched as he placed the empty bottle in the recycling bin, figuring this would be his last glass here anyway. She knew he wouldn't stay over, but what kind of host would she be to not invite him over? At the rate this conversation was headed, another argument would be had, effectively making the last half hour null in void.

So much for reconnecting.

"Ah." He needed to pick his words wisely from this point on, so he chewed on them, making sure they came out correctly. "Well that's nice of him to keep an eye out for you. He's been such a good friend to do that. He should probably take it easy, though. How is he going to find a girlfriend if he's always around you?"

Direct hit.

Trunks gently tapped the glass, locking his now hard aquamarine eyes on his old love. Stormy umber matched their opponent's intensity. There was no need to hide it. They were both adults. So… why did this bother him so much?

"Yeah, he doesn't need to worry about finding a girlfriend when he's got me." Trunks' eyes faltered, but he tried to quickly recover. Aika, catching those few moments, realized that she should probably let him have it all. He could handle it after all.

"Just so we can get this over with: Yes, we have kissed. No, we haven't fucked. Yes, we both have feelings for each other, and I'm almost 100% sure people at work know about it. I'll probably have a couple of nasty words being thrown at me by his admirers, but that's fine. I don't owe you an explanation, no, but I felt like it should come from the source as opposed to your family or an employee telling you this.

I honestly don't need to justify myself, my actions and who I choose to be with to you, Trunks, but because we are old friends and family, it wouldn't be fair to you to be blindsided. I at least have some respect left for you to give you that."

It didn't surprise him, no. He at least expected it. But what did surprise him was the audacity of the older demi. All Trunks could do was laugh. He finished off the wine in the glass, but nearly dropped it when he noticed Aika's eyes flash amber. She seemed to still be present, but the air shifted. It seemed more electric, a bit static, if you will. The woman standing in front of him was there, but it felt as if someone else was as well.

"Hey… Aijou, are you-"

"DONT… don't call me that. Ever again, Trunks."

The nickname snapped her out of whatever trance she was in. Aika blinked, rubbing her head. The static in the air and the other presence was gone. Trunks went to her side, placing a hand on her back. She quickly pushed him away, trying to fend off his touch.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Your eyes were amber, and it felt like someone else was here." He tried once more to comfort her, and was allowed. She continued to rub her eyes, staring off at the wall on the other side.

"Yeah, I've been having these moments of fuzziness. They've been happening every other week, but it's been more frequent when I come under extremely negative emotions or stress. I also hear a little voice that accompanies it. It's soft, but firm. I feel like I've heard it before." Trunks being the ever caring person, cradled her face in his hands. Aika looked up at him, studying his eyes before closing them again. He pulled her in, wrapping one hand at the nape of her neck with the other resting on her mid back, making small circles.

"I think we both could use some time off, dear."

While she rest in his arms, Trunks stared at Gohan with menacing eyes. The demi walked in, using the key Aika gave to him. He was going to surprise her with food, but got a full serving of information. He knew about her stress, but he didn't realize how it was affecting her. Gohan heard another voice from the door, but didn't connect the visitor since Trunks hid his ki until he saw the well tailored shoes.

Trunks could sense that he came in and made his move, making sure the other male knew that he still had a place in her heart. Using the weakness of her current condition and possible inebriation, he comforted her, trying to block her senses more, and it seemed to work. The intensity of their silent battle seemed to rouse Aika back to her senses. She looked up at Trunks, following his stare to Gohan.

"Oh, hey Gohan. Welcome home!" She moved from Trunks' hold and walked over to the new guest, but stopped short when she felt the tension between the two of them. She shivered, cradling herself with her arms, trying to figure out what was going on.

' _Aika… get away from them.'_

She froze, her eyes widened. The voice was back, just as entrancing and stern as before. Aika shook her head, suppressing it. Whatever was happening in her home would be taken care of by her, and not some random voice that kept popping up.

Clearing her throat, she spoke up, effectively cutting off their stare down.

"Trunks. I think you should go home now. Rebbecah is probably worried sick about you." Trunks, with a curt snort, turned his eyes away from him and to his host. She was right, it was growing later in the day, and if he wanted to assure himself a place to stay for the night, he should go now before it was too late.

"Yeah, I should go, Ai. Thank you for the wine. I hope you enjoy the bracelet." Grabbing his jacket, he waved at her, eyed him, then stepped out. Once the door shut, Gohan took a breath, walking past Aika, placing the food he got for them on the counter. She held the side of her head, rubbing it.

Seeing her current condition, the older demi walked behind her, sliding his hands through those thick brown curls and began rubbing her scalp, which she welcomed with open arms. She seemed to melt in his delicate fingers, and he ate it up. She pressed her body up against his while he moved his hands from her head to her body, wrapping his left arm around her shoulders, cradling her head in the nook, while the right found a home on her stomach.

" _Mea lux*_ , I wish you would tell me when you're not feeling well."

She smiled at her new nickname, tracing her fingers along his arm. She gave it a light peck, then pulled away, walking towards the couch.

"I'll let you know just as soon as you tell me what the hell is going on between you and my ex husband. Oh, bring the food to the couch when you're ready."

With that, Aika sprawled along the length of the couch, enjoying the soft cushions. Gohan didn't say anything. What could he say?

* * *

"Oh! Good morning, Mr. Briefs! Welcome back! I took liberty of sorting out all of the mail and correspondences that needed to be addressed to your mother, and threw the rest away."

Ever cheerful, ever loyal, Bellini could always be counted on to greet the company president with a smile despite everything going on. Trunks gave her a friendly nod, placing coffee and two muffins on her desk.

"Thank you so much, Bellini. You're always a delight to see in the morning. I'll be in my office playing catch up, so unless it's my parents or Aijou, please tell them to come back later."

While Bellini processed the name 'Aijou', Trunks walked into his office, closing the door and locking it. He threw his briefcase on the couch, took off his jacket and sat down in his office chair. Admiring the work done to his office, he took in the small details, noticing not a stitch was out of line. Just months before, he was clinging onto the last strands of life just outside his window, and now he's sitting back in the same room, trying to muster up the courage to start work.

He looked around his desk, noticing how bare and sterile it seemed. All the pictures of himself and Aika had been removed and were replaced with tasteful stationary. That wasn't acceptable. He reached for the top drawer, pulling it out and found a picture inside. It was an older picture of Aika, Goten and Trunks on summer vacation on one of the Briefs' private islands. They were between 11-13 then, covered in sand and posing with their sandcastle. Trunks chuckled, picking it up and putting it on the desk.

"I knew you would like that."

Trunks looked up from the picture to the guest, then greeted them with his warmest smile. The two met up for a warm hug, embracing as if they haven't seen each other in years.

"It's good to see you again, Goten."

* * *

(Mea Lux is my light in latin. So sorry about the lack of updates for a year now. Life just kind of took over, but I hope you all enjoy this!)


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